Not quite sure how and when Kashaf came to this final realization, but somewhere along the way, towards the end of the final episode, the light bulb switched on and Kashaf’s journey from shikwa to shukrana came to its predictable end – yes, her life was finally gulzar!

While Kashaf might’ve thought her life was all hunky dory, and it did seem pretty perfect in the last few scenes, I am not sure how a strong-headed girl like her was able to look past all of Mr. Zaroon’s mujh se ziyada perfect mard kahin nahin milega rhetoric. I kept waiting for an apology from our uber cool hero sahab but that seemed to have been deep-sixed somewhere in the euphoria of reunion – after all what living breathing female would not want to wake up and find His Hotness Mr. Fawad Khan in her bed!

Before we got to that point though, in what has now become a trademark of this serial, we got a medley of some brilliantly acted and directed vignettes tossed in with some completely random scenes. I’m still trying to figure out the point of showing the actual meeting with Asmara, except to paint Zaroon in an even darker shade of black.

Basically Zaroon got away with talking smack about his wife, so much so that even Asmara pointed out that he was in the wrong. This is the second time that Asmara’s called him out on his hypocrisies, but we still saw no real introspection on Zaroon’s part. Rather, all we got were more of his I’ve-been-wronged and how-dare-my-wife-not-trust-me scenario. Yes, he realized he was in the wrong, but only about hiding the meeting, the rest of his idiocies were all brushed aside. What I missed was a dawning realization that it was not just one thing, but his ingrained chauvinism which lay at the heart of the matter.

On Kashaf’s part as well, we heard a lot of thoughts and lot of shikwas. Yes, she realized she missed Zaroon, she acknowledged she loved him, and she agreed with her mother that he was very caring and affectionate husband. Beyond that however, apart from Rafia saying that Kashaf should not let old insecurities come in the way of her relationship with Zaroon, we never saw any engagement with the real issues that had bothered her, and plagued her marriage with Zaroon all along. I don’t think it was intended that way, but it sure did seem like Kashaf called Zaroon because of her about-to-be-born children. Would she have made the phone call had she not been expecting, or whether Zaroon would’ve come if she hadn’t called, are questions that are now open to discussion.

Nonetheless, Kashaf did make the phone call and Zaroon did come, and I guess that was that. Zindagi became gulzar and we as viewers are supposed to be happy with that. Why spend time on rehashing issues etc… just mitti pao everything. After the hot n heavy reunion, which was filled with a lot of empty sweet-talk and banter, we had another long scene of basically nothingness. Even after having ostensibly made up, Kashaf and Zaroon were back where they had been since day one – each blaming the other for the misunderstanding and fights.

The larger message of the second half of this serial dealt with how petty issues and misunderstandings if let to fester can cause problems between couples. While in principle this was a commendable topic, one rarely addressed in our serials, what came across on the screen was a jumble of brilliantly executed sequences, which when strung together failed to leave an impact. The jump from Zaroon and Kashaf still arguing, about who left whom first, to the final montage of happy family scenes was beyond abrupt. The final scenes with the two girls were very sweet, but could not leave a lasting impression. The lazy pace of the last two episodes, and the first forty-five minutes of this finale as well, made the ending seem really rushed, and left me with an unsatisfied feeling.

Overall, for me Zindagi Gulzar Hai remained a mixed bag which could never really live up to the pre-release hype. Starting off on a great note it failed to maintain its pace. In trying to address too many issues the story lost focus somewhere along the way. Nonetheless, despite its incoherence, issues with timeline, editing bloopers, loose ends, what made me sit through the entire 26 week run were the undoubtedly brilliant performances. Fawad Khan is fantastic and he proved it yet again with this serial. To sell a flawed character like Zaroon, infuse him with so much charm and personality that one could take him so seriously and put with all his idiocies, is a feat few actors could’ve managed, and Fawad accomplished all this with almost effortless ease. Matching him every step of the way, actually outshining him in so many scenes, Sanam was brilliant as Kashaf. Before the serial had aired, not many thought she could stand up to Fawad, but she has silenced all her critics with this outstanding performance.

Among the rest of the stellar cast, Samina Peerzada is fabulous and we all know that, but I really hope that she will take a break from these kinds of roles now. Hina Bayat, another great performer, did the best she could do with a character that remained incomprehensible to me from the first to the last episode. Her partner-in-crime Javed Shaikh was charming as usual, but again his Junaid spoke in a language that was undecipherable to me. Shazia Afghan and Waseem Abbas were memorable. Shazia’s blue eye-shadowed look will stay with me for a while. While all these are veterans and we expect good stuff from them, Ayesha Omar was the surprise package here. I loved all the softness and vulnerability she was able to convey, and her chemistry with Fawad was very real and made for many tender moments, and I missed her in the last episode. Also missed seing Mansha Pasha, I guess Sidra took all our criticism to heart and decided to stay put in the US and not put in a final appearance.

This serial marked Sultana Siddiqui’s return as a director, and there is no doubt that she is fantastic in terms of extracting the best from her actors. Aside from that, I do question her grip over the overall narrative. Many a times there seemed to a lack of vision about where the serial was finally headed, and the first and the second half remained disjointed in terms of pace and story-telling. Shehzad Kashmiri’s cinematography remained top-notch. His tight closeups, in particular, were fantastically done, capturing every nuance, every flicker of emotion that raced across the actors’ faces. In terms of production values, this serial bore the MD Productions stamp, and that alone made this one stand out above many other serials out there.

The editing though did leave a lot to be desired, as did the background score. To come to the story, the foundation of any serial, Umera Ahmed’s script was interesting and had a lot going for it in terms of potential, but the overall execution left a lot to be desired. Hence for me, Zindagi could’ve been gulzar, but fell short of the high expectations we had going in to the serial.

Finally, as we close the book on Zindagi Gulzar Hai, a huge shout out to all the readers and commentators. Whether we agreed or disagreed it was always enjoyable to read all the comments; the at times fierce debates pointed to all our intense involvement in the serial, the characters and their idiosyncrasies. Whether you loved or hated my reviews – thank you all for reading!!

Hi. Ever since I came across this serial, I have looked for alot of reviews online to see what other people are saying, to see if they are appreciating and loving it just as I am. and while doing so, I have come across your reviews quite a few times, though to be very blunt, I have always found them to be negative, and too critical. There is always a lot of nit-picking in your reviews, you never seem to appreciate the good for too long, and rather spend more time pointing out the faults, which is your style now that I think about it. But, for the first time, I do agree with parts of your review, second half of the finale was a little dissatisfying, maybe because we were expecting so much out of a 40 minute episode. They could have spaced the material out over 1 more episode, and addressed the issue more thoroughly. but, in it’s own way, it was well done. This was supposed to be kashaf’s journey from shikway to sukar, and I think that’s what happened in the end. She slowly came to realize this, although we didn’t get to see much of that, but through her kids and most importantly zaroon, she realized the importance of appreciating things in her life. and this is what the show was trying to tell us, or portray through kashaf’s character, that be thankful. and, I disagree with what you said about zaroon, sure, he still had the signs of chauvinism when the drama ended, but that’s him. and, he even realized that whatever he did before was stupid, so we can’t hold him responsible forever for what happened with osama, he himself acknowledged his mistake. and him saying that marrying kashaf was the biggest mistake of his life was his anger. both were trying to show that they can live without each other, but we could see that both were miserable while doing so, kashaf was constantly crying, while zaroon was distracted and always angry (I felt bad for the poor guy he kept yelling at). His chauvanism is part of his own viewpoint, it was extreme at some points, but he has learned to tone it down, especially with a wife like kashaf. and, that is exactly the reason why he married kashaf because she went with his ideal, so he chose right. Isn’t that why we sometimes refuse people for marriage because their viewpoints are sometimes different from ours? and that’s exactly why asmara and him didn’t work, sure, he was being impossible at times, but, eventually as a result, he recognized what he really looks for in a life partner. I find nothing wrong in it as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone. I think kashaf has been a great influence him in the chauvinism department. Now, coming on to the show as a whole, I would like to say that compared to the stuff that is being offered right now, zindagi gulzar hai is gold. it made history with such a great story, and the cast. I not only fully enjoyed the drama, but also learned lots of things from it. In a way, It was very realistic, be it kashaf’s insecurities, the difficulties a mother faces from only having girls, the issue of being modern, and also male chauvanism. Everything was addressed, some topics left open ended, while some driven into a positive direction. I think this is one of the greatest drama I have watched in quite a while. With a character like kashaf, I was hooked on immediately and I decided to give the drama a try. I’m so glad I did because I found everything to be so beautifully done, sure it had it’s faults, but I think in criticizing, the beauty of the drama as a whole will be lost. After all, something is most beautiful when it has some faults, beauty is in imperfection. and, I guess it depends on the viewers if they saw the messages the drama was trying to give, it depends on the each one individually if they got something out of the drama or not. so, in my case, I got full enjoyment, and also learned few very valuable lessons through this drama.

I totally agree with You and not everyone watched it for the romance you know, I watched ZGH mainly because of the family theme, esp. Kashaf’s family.

The story of a single mother of 3 daughters, their struggle, the father issues, Kashaf’s bitterness, but their sweet & loving family got me, I’ve learned many lessons from them. That’ what makes me continue watching it. Zaroon’s family in the other hand also have their own issues.

On Kashaf-Zaroon I knew it would be a typical romance (not that I’m complaining). IMHO Such a hurry ending, 1 more eps. wouldn’t hurt 😀

Sanam Saeed is such a brilliant actor, God bless her & all the best. can’t wait to see your next project.

It’s been a year since Zindagi channel introduced us to a refreshing world of Pak dramas and most have been highly appreciated and applauded by the Indian audience and foremost amongst them is ZGH! ZGH is airing the 4th time on Zindagi and the enthusiasm for this show has hardly waned. As many people say, even though being aired for the 4th time, there’s something fresh about it that makes it seem that we are watching it for the first time. It’s a stress buster for me 🙂

There’s an inexplicable pull about ZGH! There are better dramas… better directed ones, bigger block-busters ones, more issue-based ones, more sensitive ones and the list goes on and then there is Zindagi Gulzar Hai.

Agree ZGH has it’s flaws, just like the drama’s main protagonists Kashaf and Zaroon, but just like them, the show is just too relatable, endearing and has a lot of heart that one keeps going back to watching it…again and again!

@SZ. More than any other review, I agree with this last one. It could have been so much more but alas it was not. I know you can say I told you so, you did warn me. Although, I have seen that scene – when Kashaf awakes to finds Zaroon lying next to her a few times – it is a total of 2 minutes long. And at the end of the day, it is still their typical banter, hardly a heartfelt discussion. The rest of the episode is mostly forgettable.

So much time was wasted in this episode with scenes of them moping. 😦

Her declaration of love to him was followed by a simple “I know”. Really???? How anticlimactic! Zaroon, you waited so long to hear those words and you respond with something that at best sounds blah and at worst sounds cocky and smug!?!

he simply said “I know” because he always knew she loved him otherwise they wouldn’t have lasted this long. she has always loved him, but never said it. and because she never said it, he just liked teasing her with that. she doesn’t always have to say it, it’s a matter of understanding between a married couple. and, at such a point, it’s not that big of deal if she says it because he has felt her love zillion times with the little little things she does for him. 🙂

There is no beauty in the message if the message itself was conveyed with so many loopholes in the middle, so how can you get the message.This drama deserves to have it’s share of criticism just like others, especially considering evidently it comes with too many flaws to begin with. No one over-criticizes a drama for no reason… just saying.

I don’t think people enjoy criticizing for the sake of it. The fact we care and were really looking forward to this and I mean really looking forward to this actually makes it upsetting that a lot of issues were started and just weren’t truly resolved. Zaroon ka double standard, Kashaf ka father ka issues…all brushed under the carpet. Why did they then spend so much time on this in the beginning?

Zindagi Gulzar Hai is a major failure for all those who are watching it only because of Fawad Khan. He is good, charming… but as an actoror he got ZERO versatility!

You said a lot about him -even in this your last review you focused on him, but sorry to say he don’t deserve it. Although he presented character Zaroon well, but there was nothing new- monotonous and very same kind of acting in every other drama! There are lot more other things

Umera is Umera… no words for appreciation. this story is not about the perfect characters, living a perfect lives. Its about kay nobody is perfect. .. and thats the reality! Aap aur kaisa end chah rahay thay? on a larger scale consider this serial as a Journey – A Journey of life! Aur zindagee ka safar tu na rukta hai na khatam hota hai… and to give a real touch, this kinda abrupt ending with same gila shikwa or eik doosray ke flaws ko overlook kar daina -is perfect.

Kashaf- is a character. .. jo har larkee ko understand karna chaiye, and I am talking about our society ! Not ppl living abroad, because I think their lives and issues are probably different and they couldn’t relate themselves with the character/and characters/story so fail to understand the message of this story properly !

I’m not even pakistani and live abroad, but I still understood the message. so, don’t worry! There are people who love and appreciate this drama even when they are not in such a situation. Btw, very well written! and I agree!:)

Bravo !!! You said exactly what I wanted to say and wanted to call the after party of the show for that same point , Sanam was the HERO all the way , she had a grip over the character of Kashaf which she didnt loose for one mini second , and it offends me personally when I read all the ga ga over FK and not giving Sanam full credit for what she did , Kashaf’s character was not of a perfect woman which Sanam played perfectly ! She is the ACTOR who brought life to Kashaf’s role , which I doubt that anybody else would have been able to deliver among the lot we have now , where as Zaroon was a typical hero type character which a lot of male actors would have easily played , FK is good looking by the grace of God but he has only few expressions to give in any character , which works fine with the kind of role he plays , nothing out of ordinary . I have no problem with FK but in my opinion he is just a good looking guy with average acting skills , extra ordinary role is yet to be seen which I wish and hope he would be able to play and get .
The serial is a memorable one for the character of Kashaf , her perseverance to make something out of her life for her family , she had flaws in her personality, she was rude, obnoxious, paranoid at times but she had a soft heart inside the Iron Lady ! She was an inspiration to the girls from all sections of society , to keep working hard , never stop to achieve their goal , self respect , self reliance , and above all ready to accept when going wrong . The serials had some flaws but because the story line and characterisation I would let it go , but it had all the potentials to break all the record to be next to Dastaan !
( apologies to FK fans in advance , didnt mean to put him down ) .

Hi, i am from india and this is my first pakistani tv show that i have seen. It was awesome. I can see this again & again. Fawad and sanam was perfect character for this show and they played theit role very well. Story was interesting sometimes seems to connect our real life. Fawad looks very nice ,every girl will want her husband like zaroon. 🙂 it’s my opinion if you don’t think so plz dont mind 🙂

I agree with S.A. Even i found a lot of people nitpicking the show and some kept comparing it to humsafar. Well, the show had flaws but nevertheless it was a great show and for me even better than humsafar. I couldn’t watch Humsafar becaus elf mahira khan. She is great but she was the biggest flaw in the show. She ruined khirad for me. Whereas ZGH was made with an honest intention. I agree that not every episode was mindblowing but this is not an indian show. Its ok to have a few slow episodes. What i feel is this show was wrapped early because of people complaining of its length. This is typical umaira ahmad. She takes time in making a point.
All in all, great show. My fridays are going to be so empty…………

Why does everyone compare Zindagi Gulzar Hai to Humsafar? Just because of the common connection being Fawad? I don’t understand why that is. Aren’t they two completely different shows. Besides everyone has different likes and dislikes. We can’t judge either of the audiences. The ones who likes Zindagi Gulzar Hai or the ones who like Humsafar and neither can we call one show better than the other really.
Now coming back to Zindagi Gulzar Hai. I don’t think this review site nitpicked on the drama so much. Every drama has it’s share of flaws. But Zindagi Gulzar had a bit too many apparent ones in it’s plot line, it’s characterization and it’s direction. The acting was top notch yet the drama itself wasn’t.

I am surely not one of the those who liked or may be who loved ZGH.. for me journey started from episode 1 then jump to episode 3 then to 7 and then to 15.. from episode 15 actually followed the drama, keeping in mind that since now they are getting married, i might see how they both help each other in understanding and more over wanted to see Kashaf’s shukar ka safar gradually..

But to my utter disappointment, out of last 11 weeks, just one or two episodes were worth watching.. rest was all flawed, open loop holes, lack of logic, bad editing! I am not at all comparing with novel because script was totally different from novel and it was nice too except some really out of box and according to me senseless tracks, which were not needed at all.. had it been given a proper direction and editing and no extra tracks… it could have turned to ‘liked’ drama.. 😉

I am glad i didn’t had any expectation with last episode, but this much unsatisfactory end result was not expected 😦 just last few mein pata chalta he k je now she is thankful.. kaise bhayee.. kuch dikhao to sahi or let us know through monologues.. those spats between two were not logical but ok if i keep my mind at a side and give benefit of doubt tabh bhi show us some wise and mature way of handling or fine even that not.. then increase the number of episodes to cover things properly…:P

Thank God it’s finally over.
Lesson from the writer of the century.. “Wives are there to cook, clean bathrooms
and launder husband’s black suit.
Agree ZGH has been a mixed bag and stayed that way till end. None of the issues
We’re resolved. It had ‘ Khawateen Digest” stamp all over.

Ok seriously everyone needs to calm down!! Its a drama, not a personal property that people are getting so defensive and arguing!
We are all entitled to our own opinion and must agree to disagree with others and move on.

Coming to the drama, I personally didn’t like it at all, except for maybe the performances. The story line was very very weak with loopholes all over the place. The writer did a horrible job writing a tight knitted script, dragged it for way too long and totally messed up the entire drama.
If this drama was condensed into a maximum number of 20 episodes, I think it would have been a really good play. Just to get views, and popularity they dragged the serial to no end…

A lot of hard work from the actors totally gone to waste, all thanks to the poor and unrealistic script, and the director for not doing a better job with the narrative.

Completely agree with your review ,this drama left a lot to be desired. But giving credit where its due, and that would be to the actors who played their characters to perfection, yes even that servant dude jisko Zaroon nai bohut sunaiyi!! LOL. I was waiting for him to say “kashaf bibi khana banati hai, mai nahi” but wow he was way too scared.

The name changing in cell phones to “man” and “woman” was very very corny and pointless. Seedhe tarhan shuru din se naam likte, and yeh problem hi na hoti.

I loved the bedroom scene where Zaroon shows up and she pinches his face. He looked so so adorable and they looked really good together in that scene! 🙂
Closing scene where Zaroon and Kashaf watched their daughters play was pulled out of Humsafar. I have never compared both dramas but this scene was just way too obvious.

Anyways now that ZGH is over, the wait for the next FK starrer officially begins!! :), but till then I hope that people will learn to respect others opinions and state their own without pointing fingers at those who dont agree! 🙂

Yes Ash, the Man and Woman was just icky – they actually thought it might look funny? When one of them had written it and then they showed the other starting to type, I was wishing in my heart “Please wohi bakwaas na likh dena” par unkey liye yeh likhna zaroori tha!

Ash, thanks for the write up. Debate, discussion and difference of opinion is a healthy sign. And differing from each other doesn’t automatically means that one is disrespectful to other’s view point.
We need to be mature enough to take these comments lightly.

Ash, completely agree with you. The phone scene was beyond cheesy but the bedroom scene was really cute. I dont know what the whole garden scene was because it felt like they were talking about the same bedroom scene stuff.

i am commenting here for the first time. I am not a pakistani but got introduced to your dramas with Humsafar. Then I watched Ashk for FK which was totally forgettable and SEZ for MK which was good. And now watched ZGH.

ZGH was a disappointment. It was patchy, poorly directed and laborious. FK, for whom i watched, seems to have done a Ashar here too. Quite a few scenes looked very similar to HS and when I read that the director is one of the most revered personalities in your country, I find it odd that she hasnt put her stamp on this show but seems to have followed HSz style and presentation. The acting was competent and in some scenes very good but towards the end, I felt the actor playing Kashaf got very monotonous and boring and i got tired of her repeating herself. Her mother too suffered from the same problem…they kept on going about the same thing far too much. This is entirely the directors fault. They didnt show us the graph of K going from a whiny, complaining pessimist to a grateful, happy girl…the last part was very rushed. It got over before it began. And her mom going from a mute spectator to her dads transgressions to a firm independent voice.

The HS script was taut. It was fabulously directed and very well edited. Not once did one feel it was being stretched and yes, the ending was immensely satisfying. ZGH to me, lacked its own identity. It had good actors ( i really liked Z’s sis) but majorly suffered from a HS complex. Also, HS had Mahira Khan who to me was the perfect Khirad. She was luminous.

And I am comparing the two coz HS is my benchmark for pak dramas. I have been majorly disappointed with FK’s choices post HS. Hope he chooses something fresh next time. Looking forward to watching Mahira Khan. Could you pls tell me about her next drama?

Ok…..you are entitled to your opinion …I too have my negative opinion of some aspects of script only………..BUT to say that acting of sanam saeed and Fawad were poor is soooo NOT fair…..
Sanam as Kashaf did marvelous … She is one of the most talented actor in industry today….
Fawad khan has done a great job too…
These 2 are extremely talented actors .. .
…..samina pirzada’s performance was Oscar winning !
Pakistani drama serials are at much higher level in acting, production and direction.

Yes, I was seeing this for FK, not because FK is the sole reason I watch dramas but coz ZGH had totally lost the abilty to make a connection long time back. I have liked Umera’s other scripts (SeZ , QeT, DeS) but those were v well handled by the directors, edited well and maintained a grip on the actual story. Sadly here, none of these was done. By this last ep, Kash’s moans and groans, rafia’s naseehats were all coming out of my ears- hard to sit through them for the 100th time.

At the end, all it took was one call to bring hubby back (missing the good food, clean suits ya betion ka payar? kya jaane?) – obviously male ego was bigger than the female one- but then I’ll be sounding like Kashf 🙂 Should add here that I loved the way K finds Z in bed- super cute! Loved FK’s (finally new!) aqua blue shirt!

The “happy family” parts were cute- toh kya hua agar Humsafar ki yaad diladi? Waise that garden was too ‘gulzar’ for me- We got the message that life is good- they don’t need to OD on flowers.

The ‘shukrane ka safar’ that should have taken up atleast 2 ep.s was done in 5 mins flat! Some questions that came up in my mind…
K and her dad issues ka kya hua?
Did Z ever find out about K’s multiple insecurities?
Hammad ka kya bana?
Wonder if Asmara remains a part of Z ‘n K’s life :)?
Osama se ‘kutti’ wapis li Zaroon ne?

Yes absolutely unbelievable Aish…daddy issues toh doob hi Gay of which they showed us 15 episodes and the most fundamental reason Kashaf being how she is was brushed under the carpet over a two minute dinner and instead Osama aur Asmara ka retarded reason bangay for conflict.

SK, its so sad because with the two flawed characters they created they had a bus load of meaningful material to work with but they just created more and more trivial issues only to clear up absolutely nothing in the end. Its like they opened Pandoras box and abruptly closed it with a thud 😦

That dinner and Kashaf confessing her love were the most awaited scenes and most disappointing.

Bilkul. I absolutely agree that there was opportunity wasted to truly show character transformation, resolution, and catharsis. But,….Kashaf saying the serenity prayer “god give me the serenity to change the things I can, strength to let go of the things I can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference” is a big clue that all the big serious stuff was put into the bucket of Things One Cannot Change. Did we want to see her make peace with her father, to move on by allowing herself to forgive? I sure didn’t. I dont think her father deserved one iota of forgiveness..Yes, we did want to see her talk from the heart and deeply about her scars with her husband, but, in the end, what would that have really accomplished? His love couldn’t have possibly gotten any stronger from her sharing.
As for his transformation, yes, it sucks that he’s incapable of feeding himself or ironing his own shirts or putting a cap back on a tube of toothpaste. (Really, not marriage material in my book, no matter how stunning the hotness factor) But, so what? Did you not see the glorious garden he built for her, assuming from a prior scene, with his own two hands? Man can’t be perfect.
I’m not at all trying to make light of the critique here, which I DO agree with…..just trying to show the brighter side.
These were two young naive kids in love trying to make it all work. The mindless banter, the “tangain thoR doon ga” comment, spoke very convincingly to their youth. They could have overtly shown more growth, and THAT truly is the ufsos ki bath that they didn’t, but……so what….they have youth to blame and a springtime full of flowers in bloom around them.
Here’s hoping deeper things can be explored in future roles by the very fine performers in this drama. 🙂

So so very true! Seems in all the shots we just had to get of Zaroon’s moping, and Kashaf chewing her pen, we lost closure on every other character in this drama. Kashaf’s epiphany, as long awaited as it was, did come in a blink of an eye, and did Zaroon ever learn the “why” of her behavior, no. We got them both shedding tears over her coming home, a great bedroom scene. Then cue the babies. Clearly the drama was going for style over substance at the end. But so be it. Many of us expected the rushed closure, and we were not surprised. Prettiness has its place after all. And we got the pretty. On to the next. What is this Numm people speak of? 🙂

Thank you, Ash 🙂 Hm, not sure what to make of this one. Long silences and self-consciously blocked scenes (wall between two characters, words, some steps, another wall) can either work beautifully or become tiresome very fast. That slap, though? Wow. Don’t see things like that too often, do we. Looking forward to watching and rehashing! 😀

I wish life could really be like this. So super gulzar without resolving anything!

All our marriages would surely be made in heaven then if we just learned to brush everything under the carpet! No strife whatsoever!

SZ, love your review!!

Nobody has to agree with anybody, just please be respectful in your disagreement. I think its the least anyone can do. I’m sure writing reviews day after day after day cannot be easy to do yet its done so well on this site!!

I cant believe 26 weeks have gone by and this has come to an end. For me it was bittersweet. Going from super duper excited to disappointed to frustrated to unmoved but it was all memorable because of the non stop discussions we had here. I loved coming here and talking about it.

I dont want to dwell too much on it because its been beaten to death, but I felt like even today they had a really good opportunity to end it well but they blew it. After dragging for so much I wouldnt have minded one more episode to see end with all questions answered. but they spent majority of the episode apart from each other. Heck they spent most of their time apart for the entire show and frankly it wears on the patience of the audience because all want to see the hero and heroine together. All we got was romancing the laptop and diary. Even in the end they are still talking to their laptops and diaries..WTH?????

As a woman I loved Kashafs journey but they didnt really know what to do with her in the end. Another disappointment.

Anyway I will move on. I think this will be a good show to watch now because there is no waiting week after week and we can FF through a lot of it.So I wish I had discovered it today.

In spite of all that we got some excellent scenes, monologues and brilliant acting and chemistry between our leads so I’m glad for that!

And FK, it has to be said was sizzling hot throughout! 😛

And how does Kashaf know she is having girls? In India, they will never tell us. I thought that was done only in Europe and in the US.

The original pre-hype for this drama, has been a huge culprit and setback in terms of the final result that people expected. In-fact, seeing the narrative of this drama sort of not going anywhere, the expectations came tumbling down itself. Frankly, I didn’t understand how zindagi just became gulzar for Kashaf in a few moments, if so much of the drama didn’t even tie together. Considering this has been the number one show of it’s time, it’s disappointing to see the finale end with so many loose ends. Strictly speaking along the lines of the script and the screenplay, many times it just didn’t translate that well on-screen. There were so many unnecessary, repetitive, and random scenes placed in midst of important scenes that it brought the overall impact of an episode down. If Zindagi Gulzar Hai wasn’t a product by Hum, I don’t see the drama being able to receive so much success. This was Sultana Siddiqui’s comeback and Hum TV put in all efforts to make this the largest blockbuster and the most special project that Hum TV ever made. Too bad it didn’t turn out to quite be that way. It may have swooped the ratings, but left many viewers unsatisfied. The message given out still remains confusing and incomplete. The direction is all over the place, some scenes turning out to be extraordinary, other’s nearly pathetic. In terms of acting, yes the drama managed to churn out some amazing performances but I don’t think it’s worth it to see 26 episodes and be left so disappointed. The editing needed to be better, the loopholes needed to be answered. There were too many mistakes apparent, so no I don’t think any of the reviewers personally nitpicked anything much. It was just too evident.
Another thing. It’s interesting to say that we all have our own tastes. But judging this drama as an overall product or looking at it’s presentation as a whole, I don’t think this drama is really worth mentioning as a classic or a masterpiece. Thus it doesn’t deserve to be compared to Humsafar. Believe it or not all you want, but Humsafar is a phenomena of it’s own. Zindagi Gulzar Hai isn’t. In practically every episode, I could draw similarities and parallels to many scenes being taken from Humsafar. Whether it was the romantic portions, or the finale scene with Zaroon and Kashaf spending time with their children. The sad part is, none of those scenes could leave the viewer with the kind of impact that Humsafar did. I don’t understand why many Pakistani’s are so negative towards that drama. Although I do guess that a lot has to do with Mahirah Khan and the success the drama received. But coming back to Zindagi Gulzar Hai, I think it’s simply just another ordinary drama that gives you an insight on a few things, Rafia’s words of wisdom to Kashaf perhaps teach you a thing or two. There’s some reference to keeping up with the relationships in our life as well, forming the trust that we need, but I remain dissatisfied with this show, especially because of the name Umera Ahmed being attached to it and not delivering something so worthwhile. I feel like these days all her scripts are dragging and somewhere or the other become much too repetitive. Hoping she can deliver something different to us soon.
By the way, I was watching the live transmission. And there it was mentioned that the show had clean romance that could be watched with the family. I believe that is hardly true. Everytime Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed layed together on the bed, the room just became awkward. There was a bit too much closeness in majority of the romantic scenes. Makes me wonder… In an interview, Fawad Khan once mentioned that he doesn’t know how comfortable his wife would be with the intimacy in Humsafar so it was kept to a minimum. How come here then, there was so much of it. It’s strange in my opinion.

@ TA,…..so FK in another interview said that he looks intimate/natural in romantic scene because he is thinking about his Mrs while filming…..So there, if you felt the ‘so much’ love in the air on the sets of ZGH…the reason simple…woh begum ko dekhte hain apni har heroine mein 😛 Btw, I still think the romance in both ZGH and HS was too proper for my sensibilities 😉

LOL I don`t wanna comment on anything else you said but just the romance part! How on earth was the romance not appropriate? In fact, the romance between Zaroon and Kashaf is the most sensible, most clean, most appropriate romance I have ever come across in any drama…hats off to Fawad and Sanam…and yes, I have watched HS as well!!

@SZ, thanks for the finale review. I found your blog while watching Talkiyan and I ended up here on ZGH, you have been so generous with your reviews to keep us hooked on this show for past six months or so. Thanks once again and Keep up the good work !!

Best scene of the episode. Kashaf waking up to zaroon sleeping beside her..so sweet, too bad they had just been separated and met after god knows how long of being apart and it was as if nothing happened…let’s just gloss over that shall we and enjoy it for what it is…FK and SS rock and that’s the only reason I watched!
The finale was perfect in depicting the whole series…some excellent scenes and dialogues lost in the various themes of the drama.

Some confusions
Is a wife only great when being a strong empowered CSS officer, she is missed by her husband for a dirty bathroom and kacha gosht! Really? I guess zaroon really wasn’t enamored by her rude personality so housework it was!
Zaroon got to do whatever he wanted with Asmara, even bad mouth Kashaf and didn’t even have to apologize, even when Kashaf came back.
So was she going to stay with him if he had had an affair because she really didn’t seem to care once he was lying in bed next to her lol

This was a very interesting script, with lots of great moments and truly wonderful chemistry between the leads but really did get lost in the sea of background stories and some ridiculous assumptions and stereotypes. We had waited a long time for this and in effect I guess were expecting a masterpiece because of all involved. I would say it was decent enough, and maybe better than most dramas but we cannot ignore that it had a lot of confusing aspects and zaroon and Kashafs marital phase and issues were not given as much time as the preceding issues of the first 15 episodes. They totally rushed this last episode with no conversation of substance! Yes happy families was cute but Kashaf doing shukr in the last 5 mins was not cute…just very very predictable.
Thanks SZ for your very fair review, agree with most of it even though sometimes I have not, but that is what is great. Everyone has their own opinion and shouldn’t bad mouth others. I hope we can all be civil and learn to respect others opinions, as everyone is free to like or dislike what they want.

Lots of good and great comments on the finale.
Like some others, the show failed to connect with me mainly because the message overall wasn’t delivered with a lot of impact and thus the effect became extremely diluted. While the performances were amazing and the romance cute at times, UA’s dialogues left an impact only in certain places due to the overly lengthy script. I unfortunately have forgotten most of the amazing stuff Umera wrote in this serial while I still remember Abba’s letters from DeS and Zara’s last conversation with her estranged friend in Daam. If treated the same way, this could have been a hard hitting serial kept at around 18-20 where the total emphasis would have been on how a woman can grow out of her insecurities to become a confident person. I would have at least remembered more of Rafia’s naseehats rather than her bijli ka bill 😦 Buss yaad kya reh gaya hai woh bijli ka bill. This was MD Productions’ baby and most of the time with babies, we like to capture the same moment a zillion times. ZGH suffered the same fate.

LOL Annie, you have hit the nail on the head! I too can remember loads of dialogues from Durreshehwar, Daam and (surprise, surprise) even Maat! ZGH was, well, ZGH! I also found it extremely annoying that Hum TV promoted ZGH (especially the last episode) on every single Facebook page of its drama serials. Bhai, if we want to follow ZGH, we will join its page. We don’t want to be hammered by ZGH wherever we go… It was a poignant novel but tortorous to watch most of the times.

@Annie: ur spot on some of the UA’s dialogues being hit or ever remembered… no doubt abaa letters from DeS were heart touching and so were Daam dialogues.. loved all of them.. i even remember Wujood-e-Laraib dialogues it was UA’s first original script 🙂

Thank you for this finale review, for putting the nail in the coffin, so to speak. But for looking for places to talk about this drama, I wouldn’t have discovered you, and for that, I’m grateful. Unfortunate that style won over substance in the end for this drama. we’ve already spoken of where and how wrong turns were taken. Can’t really say anything others haven’t already said…..so, on to the next!

yes the final episode was rushed and left with too many loose ends, K’s journey to shukrana was not convincing, she still seemed to “me” like she has just learnt to compromise and adjust…but not be greatful to Allah ,
SS acting left a lot to be desired.FK was OK.they never ever looked the loving couple as claimed.the dialogue were incomplete. espcially Z “really” in the bedroom scene. and K being quite to Z ” fear of loosing her”. dont the they anyting good to say when the partner is appreciating….
Thanks everybody and SZ for making this page interesting…not a pakistani…so please tell which drama is now best on air.

Thankyou All for your appreciation – and even more so for your “critical appreciation”! SZ your reviews are by far the most honest, fair, unbiased and insightful for any drama that you have reviewed – thankyou for that as it helps us to improve upon our own work and deliver to the viewers expectations.

Nevertheless, there will always be flaws and personal likes and dislikes and I too agree with many. But there is always something new to watch out for 🙂

Just as I gave you a heads up for Talkhiyan (which I know you all enjoyed) here’s the heads up for another drama you must watch out for. “Aunn Zara” airs today on APlus – a play that will warm your hearts and make you laugh and cry in a surge of many emotions. For DeS and Dastaan fans this is Haissam Hussains new offering and for SeZ and MeJ fans – this one will pull at your heart strings the way it did at mine! And yet you will have a laugh and a half!

Most of the viewers here are used to watching Hum Tv but do give other channels a look too – you will find a different kind of freshness and content in plays like Talkhiyan, Nanhi, Jalpari, Tum ho keh chup, Mera Sayein and now Aunn Zara!!

@HKB What a beautifully written comment!
Already planning to watch A-Z tonight… Infact have sent my Ammi an sms reminder as well 🙂 I met you ‘n the cast while you were shooting for this (Qaddafi Stadium) and you were so kind as to introduce me to Haisam Hussain! Made my day (and more) meeting you all.
All the best for the show!

Hina,
its very encouraging to see that talented and busy artist like yourself would take out time to read reviews… encouraging indeed.
.
will take a minute to mention an observation I made while watching Special transmission of Zindagi gulzar hai …………
One wonders what was going through yours , Samina Pirzada and Jawed sheikh’s mind.. when listening to the younger and currently at their prime actors like Fawad and Sanam— you could read their said and unsaid thoughts… dealt and undealt all emotions and actions— because great actors like Samina Pirzada , Javed Sheikh and yourself have been here once… ……thinking…… been there , felt and done that……
In the midst of so much of new fame noise … please remember you all are still loved and respected…..
just a thought……..

Thank you for understanding the criticism for what it’s worth and accepting the accolades with so much grace. I think the best thing this drama had going for it was a superb cast. From FK, SS, SZ, AO, JS and of course you! All of you made your sometimes one-dimensional characters still come to life and own the scenes they were in. That is not only talent but a commitment to your craft as well as to your audiences. THANK YOU!

Despite the glaring flaws in plot, pacing, timelines, which can be attributed to both director and producer, it must also be said that it was Sultana Siddiqui who was able to direct and extract many stellar performances from her cast, especially the leads. This is truly where the disappointment also lies. She is so capable and celebrated, with a little bit of attention to narrative and commitment to a thinking audience this could have truly turned into a gem for generations to come much like Dhoop Kinarey and Humsafar (which I have not watched!).

As my 12-year old daughter said last night, unprompted, “this had the potential to be so much more!!!”

Hina, I’ve said it before, but it really stands out to me and is much appreciated so I will say it again – thank you for caring about your fans and listening to them (the good and the bad comments) and being committed to elevating arts and entertainment in Pakistan to make it worldclass. It’s heartwarming that a celebrity and entertainer is as down to earth and connected as you are!!! Looking forward to watching “Aun Zarra”.

@hina, I just bumped into AZ and I am so happy that I did, Wah Wah Wah , Maza aa Gaya! After Talkiyan great to see you in a different role and that too so MAZAYDAAR!! Love your chemistry with your Saas and Nand !!! I don’t remember laughing that much in ages at a COMEDY SERIAL on our TV, I toh didn’t even know that there is such a channel called Aone ! Haisam Hassan did a fab job as getting viewers hooked in first 5 minutes of first episode is not easy, I don’t even recognise the face of the lead, only know you, Sabeen and the lady who is playing your MIL and offcourse, Janu Baba and Irfan Khoosat . Looking forward to more SALEES URDU with THAIT PUNJABI !!! Looks like our family ,,, lol Bihari v/s Punjabi ….such mai Maza aa Gaya …hope that Agay bhi it would not dissapoint us( InshaAllah )

Thank you Hina for always coming here to reply to the reviews. It is so wonderful to have you on the “social media bandwagon” while the 20 and 30 somethings are still trying to catch on 🙂 Yours and Sanam’s scenes just reminded me of Appo Ji and Bibi – I couldn’t help it!
Looking forward to seeing you in A-Z as the overprotective mother. Wonder if Auun will say “mummy aap kya keh rahi hain?” 😉

No explanation is shown/given as to how Kashaf realised she was wrong. She wasn’t thankful since the beginning of her life. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks so how in the whole wide world did she understand her mistake?! It’s quite impossible..
Anyway, Zaroon had to die so that Kashaf would get her lesson. It’s in the original story. That’s why this drama didn’t make any sense. 😦 >:O :@

Zaroon did not die in the novel. They resolved their issues, had two sons and eventually moved abroad on a foreign service assignment. Every drama does not have to end in tragedy to make it memorable.

And for all its worth I hated (I know hate is a strong word) the novel and Zaroon’s character, who did nothing but try to subjugate Kashaf throughout the novel. Umera’s screen adaptation was much better despite its ultimate execution.

@Someone: If you want to continue participating in the discussions here I suggest you use appropriate language. Rudeness is/will not be tolerated and I will not hesitate for a second before deleting any offensive comments.
and btw, fyi, @Nur is absolutely right – Zaroon does not die in the original novel.

I just saw this post and broke out laughing. I guess some people take their dramas very seriously!!

@SZ: We’re missing you – if you’re still in PK, have fun and eat lots of yummy food!

I finished watching Daam – I found it a little slow in the beginning but then it did pick up the pace – LOVED the ending, especially Zaara’s decision (although, at first I thought she would have gone the other way)

I’m watching Mora Piya – and ‘enjoying’ it – I think the storyline has been handled well thus far. There are the requisite questions/issues, but all in all it’s a gripping – albeit one-track – story.

@Twinks – Daam was a pretty good drama. you should def watch it. Only thing there are no good quality videos available on the internet.

@Nur – LOL yes I guess some people do take their dramas way too seriously and that too with incorrect information… khair….mora piya was also a good drama.. I cannot think of a single good drama on air at the moment worth watching =\

@Ash: regarding good dramas currently airing..well, I have tried to give the drama Tanhai a chance, but the last epi I saw is that the ‘good’ guy/hero, just slapped his wife. I don’t know what the heck is wrong with PK tv that they show this as normal behavior. It used to be that the “bad” guy would be shown smacking his wife and now it’s okay for the ‘good’ guy to do that? WTH? I am really disappointed with this sort of thing being shown and accepted in the ‘hero’ characters. So really, right now I am not really drawn to any drama. I am willing to hang in there for a bit with Kankar, but it is kinda slow. We’ll see how long I last, lol!

My, now THIS looks good. We get daRi-ed Fawad and the brilliant Nadia Jamil to boot. I’m imagining an emotionally harsh story from this preview…imagining the worst possible scenario, actually. So, interest peaked, ready to go!!
And, can I just say, goodness bless Fawad for not staying off screen long enough for us to miss him. Bless him. 🙂

What a journey!!!! And thank you all for your love, support, appreciation, criticism and honesty. Kashaf meant a lot to me and i am so glad she meant just as much to other girls here in Pakistan. I leant so much from this role and its been such a humbling experience to see the impact its had on others too. She was so real,and i was so lucky to be working with such incredible actors and generally a wonderful team. I sure will miss K!!

@Sanam: You literally owned Kashaf… no one can ever played Kashaf such wonderfully like you did.. when i heard ZGH is being dramatized, and leads were not confirmed yet… i always wished you to play K… as you were made for this character…God Bless you Sanam :):) keep working excellently!

Hey Sanam, so nice to see you here! I really did enjoy your acting so so much, you were a fabulous nashukri Kashaf! One of my main reasons for watching was the brilliant acting, and the chemistry between all the characters was excellent. Needless to say yours and Fawads scenes rocked.. even the cheesiness was bearable! You guys really brought Kashaf and Zaroon to life!

@Sanam Saeed – lovely to hear from you! You were marvelous as the brooding, angry at the world Kashaf, as I am sure it must have been really hard to play that character. I mean there is only so much one can complain right! 🙂

You played the character to perfection and I think that is the main reason why many people in Pakistan can relate to it, although I had some issues with the character itself but that is besides the point. 🙂

Wishing you the best of luck in your future projects.

Question: Is there any way you can get your theatre play “Dhaani” on the internet/youtube for the people who are living abroad! Would love to watch it.
Thanks!

@sanam Saeed , it’s so good to see that you took time to read the comments ( just as you did with Talkhiyan) and post your own comment as well !! Zindagi was Gulzar because of Kashaf and Kashaf was Gulzar because of Sanam !!! You have stolen our hearts , with your dedication and your commitment with the role you played , you believed in the character that’s why it came out so real ! Team Kashaf all the way , lead by Sanam Saeed 🙂 🙂 🙂 love you and God bless , can’t wait for dhaani on you tube or any tube !

Sanam Saeed , I don’t have words to eulogise , applaud your commendable performance..You are an astounding actress…I am and have always been your ardent admirer! You breathed life into Kashaf’s character..?.Noone, just no one could have accomplished this with such finesse, …you are indisputably the finest, most talented….I empathised with Kashaf,cried with her, rooted for Kashaf all the way…despite her nashukrapan and foibles…..the tale of her ardous journey from shikwa to shukar…..which you brought to life on screen with such sensitivity and brilliance was for me the highlight of this drama…Thank you for being Kashaf and giving us so many memorable Fridays……. And Yes!! ..Fawad and you make a super duper, fantastic pair :))) your romance , chemistry awesome, unforgettable ;))hope to see you both together again soon!! love you and look forward to seeing more fabulous work from you..all the best !!

ZGH brought me back to dramas after 15 years. The drama itself may not have lived up to my expectations – perhaps because I wanted perfection – but undoubtedly, it was you and Fawad that drew me in with your performances.

Through your acting you truly brought Kashaf to life and made me root for her, cry with her, smile with her, and most of all empathize with her! I was so happy to hear during the post-show, that Kashaf is also near and dear to you – it shows that you really tried to get into her mind and understand what makes her tick.

What impressed me the most was your ability to convey your emotions through the modulation of your voice, your facial expressions and your body language. You seemed to have a full handle on who Kashaf was and how she should behave. Certain scenes will always stand out to me, such as the moonlit night at Rafia’s house when the power went out, the final fight when you left home, the wedding night scene -these were all scenes made spectacular by your acting ability!

Kudos to owning the role and making her such a strong female character, who despite her flaws will hopefully still be a role model that inspires girls to seek higher education to improve their own odds, to believe in love and to understand that part of achieving success and contentment means being grateful for what they have.

Looking forward to seeing your other projects in the future – and hopefully paired again with Fawad Khan!

Good luck and thank you for sharing with us! It is very gracious of actors and actresses like yourself to welcome constructive criticism and give us an opportunity to interact with you in such a forum.

Awww Nur !! Your comment made me so happy as if I was Sanam Saeed 🙂 ….agree with you one hundred percent , I saw Mera Naseeb after few episode of ZGH and I could see a huge difference in her acting, she matured as an actor in ZGH, she was good as Shazia but epic as Kashaf … She rushed as Shazia in dialogue delivery in so many places ( being a stage actor it could happen ) but as Kashaf see carried the character with grace and so much confidence.

I forgot to say thanks to youSZ, you and Fatima are my favourite reviewers , enjoyed reading each and every review with all the agreements and disagreements ….” Jamhoriyat ka Husn” … About the last episode, the Shukrana was done in the same way we write 786 instead of Bismillah ,,, lol….short and sweet …Chaloo khair hai, but I still enjoyed ZGH , it made my week days go very fast as I kept my self busy so that I won’t think about Friday, not many shows did that to me as I prefer all 26 episodes in one go !!! Thank you once again and would look forward to see you with some reviews of something interesting and out of the box!

@SZ: I agree 100% with your final summary review! Thanks for taking the time to review and give us all a place to discuss and see what is coming up the pike. For a relative newbie to PK tv this is much appreciated. So glad I stumbled upon your site 🙂

@Nur: yep, totally agree with you….I couldn’t believe Z’s reaction when K finally spilled her guts out to him, just a “I know.” seriously? Do you remember him saying to her in epi 20 I think, when he spends the night at he family’s home “putha nay meri bewhi cub mujsay apney feelings koolkay bathai gee” when he sits there on their little swing. I thought to myself during this epi “buddy! you finally got what you wanted! yay!” but then no reaction? for real?

@Afia Qazi: I just love your list of questions! ha! ha! I have the same ones and would like to add one more…does Z ever mature and grow in terms of his chauvinism?

I think like Nur’s daughter said, this show had so much potential! just between K’s daddy issues and Z’s chauvinism, but we never really got a deep down discussion of those things in terms of how does a person/couple work that stuff out.

I do however have to commend HUM TV and Sultana S for taking on such a huge topic which affects millions of girls who grow on to become women, not just in PK but world wide, in every culture, religion, race. There are so many books, shows, songs etc. that address this topic, in a manner that makes sense for their specific culture, as the problem is definitely a global one. So thanks to HUM and all involved for tackling this huge issue!

I also want to thank HKB and all the actors who agreed to be part of such a project. Hats off to you all!

BTW, I am going to ask a really dumb question, but do actors/folks involved with projects seriously check out these review sites? I have seen some pop up at other sites for other shows too, and I just can’t believe it! I guess the skeptical part of me wonders if someone else is posing as them? I never really thought that what we as an audience feel really will carry any sway with those involved in making shows. Maybe I am just cynical about this stuff?

Oh, and I really thought that I was done with PK dramas/shows after ZGH. But now seeing HKB mention another and folks on this site posting links to other shows, well, I may have to give them a try. I just don’t have the time to invest in shows that have bad editing and prove to be a big let down in the end after I’ve wasted so many hours into the project! And if I find the protagonists despicable, cruel, and generally not likeable, then I am DEFINITELY not wasting my time! So, hopefully I’ll find something that I feel I can root for the characters 🙂

And yes, they do really check these reviews out. My guess is a lot of them are very concerned about how the viewers perceive them (this I gather from some of their tweets and retweets of people singing their praises) hence they check reviews etc, some are just plain v interested in the process of drama making ‘n check reviews (the best kind) and some are totally interested in drama making but not v concerned with the social media (no harm) or not tech savvy (our loss).

Please don’t let ZGH drive you away from Pak dramas (thank you HUM! :p )
The show that had everyone rooting for the leads was that little show called Humsafar- did you see that? Apart from that recently, the truly memorable ones were Dur-e-Shahwar, Shehr-e-Zaat, Coke Kahani was a 22min play with 13 eps, quick and fun to watch. Our friends here could help you with more suggestions….

@Afia Qazi: Yes Humsafar! See, the thing is I only got reacquainted with PK dramas about 2 months ago. I completely randomly decided to give HS a try, and of course loved it! I had no idea though that it was some kind of phenomenon. I just thought all PK dramas were of that caliber in terms of its cinematography, editing, story continuity etc. And of course acting 🙂

So when I decided to give another one a try, I just used HS as a model…HS was on HUM TV so I went back to HUM, then looked to find the same folks associated with HS that were part of another drama airing on HUM…producer (Momina Duraid, check), actors (FK, Behroze S, HKB, -check), so I thought I had a good chance of hitting another jackpot. And honestly, up until the epi where Z got mad at K cuz of Osama I was fine with the show. But from there, a lot of stuff went off course, as we’ve all discussed.

Anyhow, I will give the show HKB suggested a shot, and maybe the FK shows, but I have to say I don’t like to see the protagonist as a cruel character, especially if the cruelty is directed towards woman. In PK, that is a serious issue. It has been estimated that 90% of females have experienced domestic violence in PK (just to be clear, I believe domestic violence is not limited to physical violence but all kinds of abuse). And when a popular guy like FK, someone who I think guys try to emulate in real life takes on such a role, well, it freaks me out a bit. I think many people have a hard time separating characters from reality, like in the US people have a hard time deciphering between ‘reality tv’ and actual reality! Scary!!!

Well, that’s it for now!

oh one more thing…I checked out a list of dramas on a site and Ashk kept coming up as one of the worst ones, and I had such a ball reading all the reviews and comments, ha! ha! Guess there is more than one way a drama can be entertaining! Sometimes the comments are the best part 🙂

No issues with getting extra info! Yes, Ashk was a disaster but the reviews and comments were a lot of fun 🙂 FK mentioned n an interview that generally in our dramas the husband is a bit of a rogue, gave the impression that he wants to move away from those but also has to earn a living. Did you see the hard slap he gives his young wife in the upcoming Numm 😦 ? Plays a feudal so I guess they’d justify it by saying that that’s how some feudals are…

@Afia: good to know I didn’t turn you off with my excessive ramblings, LOL! And yep, I did see that interview with FK about limited roles. I do see his point but I’d like to see a male actor say “um, no. Enough is enough. I ‘m not going there.” The problem is that even after the physical violence in the show, the guy/girl either get together or stay together. That message which shows ultimately a guy can do whatever and a girl should/will put up with it, is well, seriously disturbing (off my rant now, sorry!)

As for the idea that feudals can get away with it, well, that whole slapping around thing’s got nothing to do with feudalism in real life or dramas….Rehaii springs to mind, and of course Ashk, and let’s not forget the very recent ZGH where Z only fails in smacking K cuz Osama physically pulls him away (although K does give him a shove, but I can’t help but think if Osama wasn’t there Z would have come right back at K physically).

I guess it’s just part of PK culture I will never accept as ‘normal’ or healthy behavior. Which once again bring us to our beloved Humsafar. If memory serves me, even at his most angry and hurt, Asher never raises a hand to Khirad. When that whole disaster happens in Khizar’s kitchen, Asher is unable to look at her, drives off in the car and screams while driving, goes to the beach and cools off, but never, ever, uses his physicality to intimidate her, despite the fact that he thinks Khirad has betrayed him in the worst possible way. Yet another reason why some of us love Humsafar 🙂

Just want to chime in and say I wholeheartedly agree with the “freaking out” at FK taking roles where he’s violent towards women. The man has done a great service to Pakistani men and women everywhere for showing what romance looks like. Really, as an actor and as a man, he’s gone places very few have dared go in the romance department. He’s single-handedly set the bar so much higher for all actors, and men, in general. Something desperately needed in Pak culture.

Domestic violence, on the other hand, is something the culture does not need help to emulate. If the violence is done and then punished in a real and honest way, then, sure, show it on TV. I’m not condoning censorship of any sort, but when a drama shows a man raising his hand to a woman, all involved have to take a step back and think about how such a sight will be perceived by their audience. All humans are allowed to get angry (and, as most will agree, angry Fawad is hot as heck), but no violence of man against woman should be condoned as if it were a natural part of society.

Rock on Zarqa! I totally agree with what you said. I in no way have been picking on PK with regards to domestic violence, but as you stated that is a huge issue in PK. In the US, we have similar conversations about the portrayal of African American men in the media and messages/stereotypes those portrayal reinforce. That’s the same sort of thinking I have about PK dramas showing male characters that are supposed to be the “lead,” being physically violent towards women.

And in terms of FK, well, I have seen him in ZGH, where he raised a hand in anger/violence towards his love interest (who he marries), did the same in Ashk, and now according to the promos for Numm and Behad, well, I’m seeing the same type of thing where there is violence between the love interests. I would have liked to have thought he was big enough of a star that he could say, “nope, not going to go there with the character.” but alas, I guess he’s okay doing these type of things in the name of acting, oh well! Just my thoughts 🙂 Still think he’s a great actor, just feel a little uncomfortable with these roles of his.

You are I are likethis on the violence against women issue. Just today I saw the most recent episode of Dil e Muztar, a drama I’m only half watching. Imran Abbas’s character, the no-good lackie he is, did not think twice over slapping his wife for nothing more than the unforgivable sin of talking back to him. And, then she turns around and apologizes to him?!? I get that they want to show how very GOOD she is and what a clueless fool he is. But there has to be a better way than to make such violence so casual and such a normal part of domestic squabbles. What they are showing is that a woman, in order to be GOOD, will take such abuse and turn the other cheek.

And the most recent episode of Ullu baraye farokh nain, Asiya is discussing her brother’s violent tendencies with her college roomate and the roomate has a “so-what” attitude and says, it’s perfectly normal human behavior for a man to get angry and lose his cool. What’s the big deal, she says. I’m sensing a pattern here that wasn’t there before. I can see a drama presenting violence and then subverting it by showing how very wrong it is on every level. And that may happen in Ullu (Asiya didn’t agree with her friend), but at least in Dil e Muztar, I’m fairly certain there will be no further mention of that slap. And THAT is really really disturbing.

At least in Rehaii, we are getting some “real” outcomes of the violence. Slaps leave bruises and draw blood and we see women truly damaged by them. At least with that drama, we are seeing the lasting repercussions of the ill treatment of women, damage that can last for generations.

Again, I want to hammer home to every one reading this, that it’s not about holding these dramas up to western standards of behavior towards women. Western dramas have plenty of violence against women too, implied and overt. But you don’t see it happening as casually. You get the stylized violence of action heros, male and female, kicking each other’s butts, but you rarely see an average joe husband, a protagonist, raising a hand to an average jane wife, also a protagonist. Not unless it’s part of a comedy skit.

@Zarqa: I’m with you 1000%! This is not about western or eastern culture but basic human dignity. Violence in general, particularly aimed by a more physically powerful person towards a weaker one (whether it’s a man towards a woman, or an adult towards a child) is not healthy. Why can’t these shows ever show the guy picking on his own size! Isn’t it interesting that they go after women? We never did see Zaroon physically attack Osama, no matter how angry or upset he got at him, but somehow going after Kashaf was okay? WTH?

Plus as far as cultural representations, the US just aired a documentary on tv about a girl named Kainat and a rape case. I’d never heard of it but I have to say the PK court system and laws to protect women came across as though they were from the caveman era. That’s why I think it is so important to communicate violence against women does not prove a man’s masculinity, rather diminishes it.

Off my soap box (for now!, ha! ha!) Actually I don’t want to tick off the owner of this site for going into areas of dialogue that this site may not be intended to discuss., sorry!

@Twinks: I was thinking of you as I returned from the play last night. Just wanted to say that apart from Sanam’s personal reassurance that she was the real deal, I would like to add that yes, all these media related celebrities who comment on these pages are very real. I met Sanam and Sarwat yesterday and it was an absolute pleasure. Both of these ladies were extremely gracious, humble and down to earth, as they interacted wit their fans, talked to them, took pictures, etc. So glad to see such grounded celebs 🙂

I watched a bit of the live post show and all I could hear was everyone praising the other to no end . ‘ aap ne Bohot acha kaam kiya , u were so good , blah blah blah
, .It was pretty nauseating to hear the director and actors just praising each other !!!!
So much lafazee, tauba !

@Deeba – post shows Mein yahi Hota hai 😉 leave the constructive criticism to the blogs. I just hope we don’t get any more shows where the singer is lip synching their song after we’ve already heard it for 26 weeks.

Did you all get after they showed the clip of the library scene how Sanam said that in the novel, Zaroon actually did raise a hand to Kashaf and slapped her right in the middle of the library? She said she was thankful that they decided to not go there in the drama, and, boy, sure am I. As it was I was stunned how a couple can have a love story starting from a confrontation like that. I imagine that if Zaroon HAD slapped her the love story would’ve been even more implausible. i would have hated Zaroon for the slap and would have hated Kashaf for forgiving it.

IDK, in mainstream (non HBO) western drama, they rarely show overt violence of man against a woman, unless she’s some superhero and can give as good as she gets. Not to say that western drama doesn’t have plenty of violent tendencies towards women….just that you won’t see a slap or punch, man on woman, simply as a part of the heat of the argument (as opposed to stylized action hero rough-housing). Just seems so raw and real. And then to turn around and get married and have a normal family life after such a thing? Inconceivable.

Lovely to see you at our play SZ.. for those wanting to see it online i dont think that will be happening just yet..will find out later..but its not the same as seeing it live!! For those wondering if some of us actors responding to blogs are the real deal or not.. yes we are!! You only get better by fixing yourself and we take away a lot from these blogs.. at least i do. I see what your concerns are, what your peeves are, what you like etc and i try to get better and better. And believe me the positive support really really helps. It is humbling, inspiring, and very generous of all of you. It is what gives us the strength and confidence to go on. Thank you all once again, x

I wish I was in Karachi right now and could watch Dhaani live 😦
Any chance you are performing in late June or early July ??? If not then my bad luck 😦
SZ !!! You lucky thing 🙂 now I want your review on Dhaani ASAP 🙂

One of the very best things about social media is getting to directly reach (via twitter) and hear from (via everything else) the artists who make the art we love to watch. Thank you Sanam for stopping by here and saying hello to us. You brought an intelligence to Kashaf that not many actors would have been able to muster. Wishing you the best of luck in your future endeavors and looking forward to what you treat us with next. 🙂 (I too wish I were in Karachi for the play…live performances are a rare treat and one to be savored when we get them!)

Dear Ms. Saeed, thank you for taking the time to respond to my question of “are those comments really from the actors or someone else pretending to be them?” I hope I gave no offense in asking that question *hides behind couch* Just couldn’t imagine that actors really had the time or inclination to check out what ordinary folks in the audience think.

Although I am not in Karachi or PK for that matter, I can’t see you live. But thanks to folks on this site I was able to see you and the ZGH cast on the live transmission post show. You seem like a thoughtful actor who really cares about her craft and what is communicated to the audience. I seriously cannot picture anyone else in the role of Kashaf. Thank you for bringing her to life! Kashaf totally held her ground against threatening male characters and did not allow herself to be bullied, yay!

Wish you much success in future endeavors and here’s hoping they are on tv/online so those of us not in PK can enjoy your performances too!

@ All; Apologies for having gone MIA … now that I’m finally in one place after a crazy few weeks, will try to respond as frequently as I can. Meanwhile read all the comments and enjoyed everybody’s viewpoints .. whether we agreed or disagreed, ZGh did offer us a lot of food for thought and certainly made for very interesting discussions – and those I will definitely miss. I hope you will all continue visiting, reading and commenting and joining in our discussions on other serials.

@ Ash: Ok. from the promo – Masuma must be the widow of Adnan Siddiqui. They have a teenage daughter. Joe must have known them before too. He proposes to Masuma, who tells her daughter (who I suspect has feelings for Joe/FK). The daughter, in a fit of jealousy accuses Joe of harassing her. Joe is shocked and Mom is livid.

@Nur: okay, I agree with your basic framework for the show. But I think the ‘girl’ is Masuma’s kid. The kid, sabotage’s her mom’s engagement/marriage by falsely accusing the new guy of sexually harassing her, because she doesn’t want someone else to take the place of her dad.

But is FK’s name really “joe’ for the show? And is Joe supposed to be short for Joseph, as in Jesus, Mary and Joseph? I don’t think of it as a PK name, but hey, what do I know? Ha! ha!

Hey ash, nur, twinks thanks for the explanation. For some reason I kept thinking masuma meant aunt so I got a little confused then realized it might be her name :p . I am also leaning towards thinking the daughter has a crush on him . I can’t imagine how this can have a happy ending 😦
This is kind of a dark area !

Yeah, his name is Jamal in the story, so Joe is indeed a nickname. The delay b/w the hyped up premier and the actual airing of this telefilm has mean that the entire story is floating around on the web. And, @Nur and @Twinks yes you have the plot line right 🙂

@SZ: thanks for filing me in on “joe” 🙂 I always crack up whenever I hear someone from the subcontinent using westernized names when their name really is something else. Out in the west, folks are so concerned about preserving their cultural/religious identity that they rarely “Americanize” names, or at the most name their kid something that maybe works in both cultures (i.e. Adam, or Maria etc.) Just so funny how Eastern folks try to westernize and western folks try to keep their Eastern roots, ha! ha!

As for the storyline, well, I don’t like to read spoilers, so I avoided everything thing on the internet about Behad, but that last promo gave us some idea of the storyline. I hope we don’t get the ending revealed before it actually airs, that would really stink! I am assuming though that this must be an original UA screenplay and not based on one of her books, otherwise folks would already have known the entire story.

I do wish though that the daughter was a sister instead of a daughter. I would have bought the daughter thing if the ‘adults’ were in their 40s, but as it is, I think the girl is too old looking to be the daughter of these actors. Plus, the character’s behavior is too childlike in some scenes they’ve shown, that frankly, I can’t take the character seriously given the actor they’ve selected because of her appearance in age. It’s a mismatch for me. .

Someone says this looks like it’s going to be dark….I have a feeling it’s going to be one of those ‘it had so much potential, I don’t understand why the show went all crazy!” Don’t mean to be a pessimist, just my prediction.

Also, is this thing scheduled to air the same time as Aunn Zara? Will they go head to head for ratings?

@Twinks: Aunn-Zara is on hold for another week, and then they begin re-airing the serial from the first episode. The reason for this is that there have been some very recent major changes in the upper management of A-Plus, who have decided to shake things up at the channel in order to attract a larger viewership, among other things this includes more publicity etc, hence the two week delay …There will, therefore, be no clash with Behadd, which airs this week from Hum.

@SZ: thanks for the 411 on aunn Zara airing. I thought it was airing 2 weeks from when it first aired, and by my count that would be this weekend as it didn’t air last weekend either, right? So now it will re-air 3 weeks from when it first started?

@Nur: I think FK’s twitter acct was deleted a while ago and his FB page clearly says that that page is his only official acct.
Re: Numm: the buzz so far is that yes, this is a telefilm, but again no confirmed news yet… will keep everybody updated as and when I hear anything confirmed.

@Nur: You are absolutely right. In this day and age one needs to question stuff …hence my inquiry into the FK comment, and yes it was a fake, so deleted it .. cant have fakes here 🙂 Also, got it confirmed from a very reliable source that he has no twitter or personal fb accts .. so please dont add or follow any fake FKs. And yes, rest assured the rest are all “real” 🙂

@SZ: I don’t know how you get your info my friend, but somehow you do, and lucky us 🙂 I am so cynical about stuff like celebs bothering to check and then respond to fan sites. So, Mr.K’s comment was fake but the HKB and SS were legit?

I can see why he wouldn’t want personal accounts out there, can you imagine the craziness he’d have to deal with? Or god forbid his wife!! There are some crazy nut jobs out there, yikes! Yep, official page managed by a rep makes sense, though unfortunately it does separate stars from us little people, hee! hee! LIfe in the 21st Century!

@Twinks, yes it seems so much more likely that their social media would be managed by a rep. First of all I can’t imagine that they have the time to read all of this stuff and then quite frankly from a PR standpoint, most celeb images are very tightly managed and often manufactured.

Especially in Hollywood, celebrity appearances/events, public screenings, fan greets, websites and other media are strategically managed and monitored. It is about presenting an image and maintaining it. In Hollywood, it is rare for the common folk to be able to interact with celebrities, which is why the papparazzi go nuts trying to catch these actors in unscripted situations, alone or with their family. It makes sense why so many of these actors say that once they leave the set they like to spend time at home with their own families.

And I also agree that a lot of fans would drive these actors crazy. It’s funny how many people actually refer to these actors by their screen names – Ashar, Zaroon and Kashaf. One of the things I find most annoying is when people think they can tell these actors how to live their lives. I can’t believe how many people tell Sanam Saeed that she should always dress like Kashaf and others who rip her for her modeling pictures. They can’t seem to understand that Kashaf was a character and Sanam is the real person – she will do whatever she wants. These actors will make their own decisions right or wrong as they see fit.

I think the idea that PK actors/actresses visit and comment on these blogs is not normal for many of us. I almost feel like perhaps some of these actors/stars are more down to earth than what we are used to.

We can’t compare the Hollywood culture to our TV or movie stars , our entertainment world is quite small, even when the general public spot our stars in public it rarely blocks the traffic , ocasaional stares are the most common aspect ( even if you are not famous !!!) our TV stars are generally pretty normal , and thanks to the new Social media trend it’s very easy to keep in touch with the fans and getting general feedback. The more humble and down to earth you are the more popularity you gain, the more popular and in demand you are the more work you get , it’s pretty tough out there for actors , not all of them have class and natural talent of acting , most of them cash on there public appeal and popularity . So I am
not surprised if I find a lot of them quite active on social media , the ones who are not active are busy in concentrating on there work but still like to know how well they did and I have no doubt that they get there feed back from popular blogs even if they don’t comment .
Regarding your point about people referring to actors with there characters names, all I can say is that the character lives in our lounges and family rooms, we see them every day in our living rooms unlike the movie stars they are more close to us , people generally term them as ONE OF US , and its kind of like an award for these actors that people love them and see them as there own ! And hence these suggestions of ” aap aisay hee achi lagti hain ” !! I find it sweet and innocent , off course there are wierdos who see negative in everything but most people love them and are quite respectful. I feel proud of most of our TV stars who are our embassedsors in the world and we have some very talented and extra ordinary actors and Sanam being one of them ( blink blink ) !!!!
I liked the way you put everything together 🙂

Have to chime in here that interacting with fans is not just a characteristic of Pakistani actors. I’m kinda active in the social media world of American soap opera General Hospital: twitter, facebook, message boards, etc.. And those actors by all means DO interact with fans. Even the head writer is on twitter and interacts on a regular basis. I know the feeling of “wait, is this really happening?” when you get a tweet back from a “star”. But, believe me, it IS for real. And most of them LOVE the attention they get from twitter followers and love having fans and hearing honestly and respectfully from the people who are watching them, whether they choose to interact or not. Afterall, if we weren’t watching, they wouldn’t have jobs. So they know they need to keep us happy.

True, there are a lot of fakes out there too, but you can usually spot them by how eager they are to interact.The real actors pick and choose who to respond to and most of the actors know how to ignore the crazies (there is one GH actress, however, who seems to feed off the crazies and ONLY responds to them and ignores the folks who have good and serious things to say…I don’t follow her anymore 🙂 ) Just go to the actor’s twitter and get a feel for what they tweet: you can tell if they’re for real or not. Also the verified icon (the blue check mark) on twitter helps, but a lot of the lesser known, and non-American actors have to jump thru hoops to get that blue check mark, Fawad (surprisingly!) being one of them.

Just this weekend I tweeted back and forth with Nadia Jamil about Behadd. She’s very active on twitter, and responds to pretty much everybody. She told me that Fawad insisted that the slap she gave him in the climax scene be a real one, square on the face. I responded “what a pro!”. 😀

I can see how US directors of soaps may pay attention to social media as they can change storylines based on fan response. But I think PK shows are already fully filmed by the time they air, so it really doesn’t matter what fans say/think, it’s too late. The show cannot be altered based on fan feedback.

As for FK taking it on the chin (or cheek as it were) like a pro, I can see that. But makes me worried about the slaps he’s given, hope he doesn’t really smack a girl in his roles. That would be extremely unsettling.

LOL! I have been checking in on the site too! But I think SZ is on vacation:)

As for Behadd, yep! I saw it! I had mixed feelings about the whole show. The production quality was good, and the plot had a good premise initially but then it went off course in my view.

The story would have made a lot more sense to me if the issue was the daughter’s fear of her dad being replaced, rather than being possessive of her mom. If she was so possessive of her mom like they showed in the beginning, where she didn’t even want her mom to hang out with her female friends, then she would have had major issues with uncle joe showing up out of the blue and having such a role in the family even before her mom was engaged to him. And the ending was just so silly…the cameras all around the house that the girl either didn’t know about or just forgot about? WTH? I did find the cameras being on while people are in the house to be a bit creepy, yikes! I guess you have no privacy even in your own home.

Anyhow, I thought NJ and FK did a good job acting wise, with NJ really doing a fantastic job. Nice to see FK in a role with maturity, both in age and character. I think mature male characters are WAY too few and far between.

I did read elsewhere that this is not an original screenplay but a remake of another film, can’t remember what now.

Anyone hear anything about this Numm show, and when/where it’s suppose to air?

Yep it’s been quiet here lately but then again there isn’t anything good to watch on tv these days.

SZ is out of town, but should be back soon iA and so hopefully there will be new reviews soon. :-).

Saw Behadd and was not too impressed. There was nothing new about the story and it was at times quite boring. FKs new look and he being so hot kept me glued to the screen. NJ and NA were also really good in their respective roles. Other then that didn’t find anything too great about the telefilm.
@twinks: YES!!, the camera deal was quite freaky. Whose apartment has cameras all over the place and anyone can be watching. Also weird for the daughter to not know that.

Haven’t heard anything about Numm but I really hope it airs soon. TV is so boring nowadays, with nothing to watch. :-/.

@Ash: I feel vindicated in my “less than impressed” feelings about Behadd. I feel like what I have read online from viewers has all been overwhelmingly positive. Good to know I am not the only one who feels this way, ha! ha!

I agree, not much on really. I have only recently started watching Dil-e_muztar and Tanhai, again not impressed. I am sick of seeing of shows where the “hero” smacks the heroine! It is disgusting!!! I have started Kankar but if once again I have to see a hero smack a girl, I think I will drop out from viewing. Which is what makes me nervous about Numm. But, what can I say, FK is really the only solid actor in PK I think. Although FM in Kankar hasn’t been too bad.

Anyone see any vids of him from his US trip? I’d love to see him outside acting and just get to see him be him 🙂 Oh yeah, by him I mean Mr. FK of course, ha! ha!

Haha! Trust me you are not the only one! ;-). I think a lot of these online comments of the drama Have a lot to do with people being die hard FK fans and not seeing anything passéd that. Eh well it is what it is.

I am also watching DEM on and off but for the most part it sucks.
And I can’t bother with Kankar. SB in the same role for the umpteenth time and FM trying too hard to be FK. (Ewwww). He looks like a total creep. And again it’s another Umera Ahmed script so be prepared for repetitive dialogues. Yaawwwnnn.
I’d rather watch FK videos on repeat. Wish his USA tour was online . Sigh!.
Wonder what he’s up to these days. :D.

Hehe, this made me smile. Dontcha wish he was still on FB and Twitter putting up candid shots of himself looking at his computer? sigh.
I agree with what you all have said about Behadd. Loved that FK got a real good guy mature role, but it wasn’t really about him at all, was it. NJ stole the show totally, as she should have given the great role she got. But, I too did not like the way they wrapped it up. The mother as martyr theme yet again.
DEM is a chore, only watching it because my mother is and likes to talk about it. Kankar is Daam all over again, which is actually okay with me because I LOVED Daam, more so than any other drama is recent memory (besides Humsafar, but that was on a whole other level of “love”;) Yes, the guy in Kankar is a creep and so sad that most male actors, when they try to do romance, come off as creeps. FK, the Only believable romantic hero in all of Pakistan? So so very sad. The man can only makes so many dramas, other men NEED to step up their game!
Discovered some oldies of FK to ride out the dry spell, so to speak. Satrangi being one of the ones I missed the first time around. Pre-nose job FK. Still smokin. Cannot NOT be smokin anymore, can he. Poor guy, I don’t envy him. Being so WANTED all the time has to be exhausting.
Looking forward to Numm, sort of (the previews aren’t all that promising but let me not be a negative nelly just yet 🙂

@Ash: okay I actually don’t mind FM, I have seen him on JPJ and think he does a decent job as a host. I kinda like him better as himself than an actor though. I did find the script a bit creepy at times with him just staring at SB’s character at the Mehndi. There were no other guys around and he was just staring…ick! As for SB, I find her irritating….at least in this role. I don’t like adults whining as though they are 10 years old, it’s not cute. But that’s all she does. As for FK vids in the US, well, I am still waiting to find them. If folks find any please do share 🙂

@Zarqa: what candid shots of FK? when were these posted? And were they legit or posted by someone pretending to be FK? As for Satrangi, well, I tried to watch this drama on Youtube but only 10 epis or so are posted, don’t know where the rest are. Any ideas? Funny you should mention the nose job! When I started Satrangi and saw Fk’s profile I thought “wait! Did the guy have a nose job or did he just lose weight and my mind is playing tricks on me?” Is it common knowledge that the had this done or speculation or something he’s copped to? I know there are some folks who claim they “need” to have surgery for a deviated septum but really it’s for appearances only. And is cosmetic surgery common place in PK?

@kaneez fatima: Hello,lovely to hear from you 🙂 Glad to know we have a new fan of Pakistani serials … what kind of stories do you like? What else are you watching these days? If you need any recommendations or would like to share your detailed thoughts on ZGH or any other Pakistani drama youve recently watched, please feel free to do so ..would love to hear more from you 🙂

I loveeeeee the show… It’s ssoooo awosmmmm.. For this serial I have left to watch my favourite show comedy night with kapil…. Whenever it’s repeat. I always watch 2-3 times in a day.i left all my work to watch this serial.. All character have done gud job… Vry nice story …love u all…😊😊

@Tanuja bisht: Hello! Great to hear from a new friend 🙂 Glad you enjoyed ZGH..would love to hear more of what appealed to you, did you like Kashaf and her standoffishness and were her insecurities relatable? Did you think Zaroon was a chauvinist? Looking fwd to hearing more from you!

I don’t think some of the issues in ZGH can ever be addressed; like abandonment by father or husband. Time does not heal completely. You find new source of happiness but those memories and treatment shaped Kasaf’s attitude and cannot be resolved. She’s shown to be more relaxed and content which was a realistic ending.

As for Usama and Asmara being there was to show how fragile and flawed their relationship still was.

There were jump starts and abruptness to it. But overall it was a good drama.

Watever u all say but m totally crazy for zaroon junaid. M from india n i never watch daily soap…i dnt knw how i got attached with zindagi gulzar hai…thanx to zee media for channel zindagi in india n looking forwad to see this type of serial so realistic… m very upset dat this serial is ending up.

@rukmani: Awww!!! No need to get sad ,,, be happy .. you still have Humsafar in store for you .. alongwith a slew of other Fawad Khan serials…. hamara socho no FK on TV now … only on the big screen…. are you looking forward to his Khoobsurat with Sonam? What did you think of the first teaser released today?

Yes yes yes…..d moment i thought i wil miss FK on tv der i saw him fr khoobsurat….i jus want him to be jus like zaroon junaid such a lovely husband….playin intens role…. but y sonam kapoor????? I dnt like her at al…she is so all about me me me me me type girl..

@monsterinc: Hey! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.. I agree it would not have been realistic to show a complete resolution .. but my issues were more with the way the first part of he serial was disjointed from the second half, and my biggest peeve was that in a drama based upon the guy’s issues with daughters, we were never shown his daughters from the other wife …
Aside from all this, Im glad to know that Pakistani dramas have been received very positively and ppl are loving Fawad Sanam Osman Khali Butt and Maya Ali just as much as we like SRK and Salman Khan and other Bollywood actors — so all in all I think such cultural exchanges are the way to build bridges over borders that divide 🙂

I’m indian and I’ve started watching the show just a little while ago. I think it’s amazing….u rarely get to see shows like this in India, there’s just too much of melodrama.zhg was pretty realistic and I found all the characters adorable (esp. Zaroon <3). Are all Pakistani shows this great? I would have stopped watching Indian,tv had I known there's so much good stuff next door.:)

@devd: Hey! Lovely to hear from you 🙂 LOL!!! Wish I could say ke haan, all our dramas are this good but then I’d be lying … so yeh good, bad, ugly, we have all kinds 🙂
Hahah! Welcome to the FK ( Fawad Khan aka Zaroon) lovers club,… you are in pretty good company here and if you havent seen Humsafar, then you must check it out asap and let me know what you thought … us ke baad would be happy to share other recommendations 🙂

Simoly brillinat. I am so glad I got the chance to watch ZGH which made our evenings and Ramadhan gulzar. Thks to Zindagi channel that brought us this marvellous show and Zaroon Kashaf into our lives. SZ I read almost all reviews of yours for ZGH and must say you are a gifted writer mam. Loved all comments too and so glad our Paki counterparts have similar sentiments as their neighbours. We are alike in so many ways be it our culture, our dressing sense our outlook towards life. We could really connect to this show and it reminded us of our DD days pure, awesome, realistic(or far from it…thats what makes it interesting for us to watch 🙂 isn’t it ). Fawad and Sanam are our latest heartthrobs now and wishing them all the success in life. Thanks so much.

@Lata: Hello! Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts – glad you enjoyed the serial as well as my reviews 🙂
As you must’ve seen whether we loved it or hated it, everybody had a point of view and ZGH managed to generate a lot of heated discussion, and now its fabulous from a whole new set of viewers, for many of whom this is not only their first exposure to Pakistani serials, but also a wide open window into contemporary Pakistani society as well. As you rightly note we as a people share similar family values, social concerns and can relate to so many of the issues depicted in these serials, and thats why they hit a chord with the viewers across the border as well 🙂

Ab I hope you will continue watching… if you would like recommendations, or would like to discuss your thoughts on other things you are watching please do feel free to do so .. would love to hear more of your perspective 🙂

Oh, btw, if your FK fan then Humsafar dekhna to banta hai bos, and for Sanam Saeed Talkhiyan is a must watch .. both are at their very best there!!

Thanks SZ for the warm welcome and I am so glad this thread is still open for us to comment and express our thoughts here….thks for that..just curious to know if any of you girls are in India Forums that most of us are a part of since a decade….
Long back had managed to watch a few episodes of Dhoop Kinaare when the video fever had just caught on….
Yesterday was the last episode of ZGH and must say….When we let go off all insecurities..Zindagi vaqai gulzar hain…thks ZGH for making our evenings gulzar……Zaroon Kashaf will be missed …lots of unresolved issues but putting aside the flaws in plot, pacing,..a treat to watch the stellar performances of everyone especially Fawad and Sanam who breathed life into Zaroon Kashaf , ..bittersweet memories of ZGH will be etched for a long time to come….now onto the next..

Wishing both Fawad and Sanam all the best for their future…waiting to watch Fawad in Khoobsurat though I don’t have much expectations of his length of role as Rakesh Roshan had hardly anything to do do in the original Khoobsurat with Rekha.

Just watching the last epi repeat for the nth time in zindagi..wow…those words….mein apne ghar aana chahati hoon..aa jaoo….and the next morning when she finds him sleeping next to her…can watch it again and again just to watch this scene…and for all her akkadpan and her khuddaar image that she so carried along all the time…kashaf like a typical wife wanted zaroon to tell her …aainda tum ghar chodke jaoogi tho tumhari taange thod doonga….LOL…so sweet was that…

Thank God now Kashaf started thanking Allah for the happiness in her Life from now on.

Thanks SZ and friends…will try to watch Humsafar when time permits…else will catch it on Zindagi…looking forward to Behadd the telefilm starring Fawad.

@Lata: Oh wow! ok Dhoop Kinarey was fab indeed as were Ankahi and Tanhaiyeen etc … but since then there’ve been a few good shows, so Im actually quite envious of you that you have lots of good stuff waiting for you 🙂 Apart from Behadd, you can watch Kuch Pyar ka Pagalpan, Akbar Asghari, Dastaan, for FK, and for Sanam you MUST watch Talkhiyan which is inspired by Arundhati Roy’s Gid of small things .. Sanam’s Mera Naseeb and Mata-e Jaan are in the pipeline for shows that will be aired later on Zee… but for now aap Humsafar dekhen .. and then come back and drool with us 😉

Thanks for the reply once again SZ…in IF I requested the owner to add a Zindagi forum and it seems there is one already…so looking forward to discussions there as well…Thanks for letting me know about the shows…wow they have made A Roy’s God of small things as well is it..its like so complex and deep….am sure Sanam must be outstanding…just love her voice and her acting as well and what a beauty too she is..inspite of the traditional outfits in ZGH her beauty could not be missed…and Fawad…wow…well what to say….Will try to check out the shows you mentioned. Thanks dear.

Hi Afia…thks for responding…LOL…yeah wrong usage of words…actually I am ever ready when it comes to watching shows and discussing them non stop…and have heard everyone raving about Humsafar so its on my must watch list now. Already going through ZGH withdrawal syndrome. Missing it a lot and the presence of Zaroon Kashaf…wish we got to see more of their romance after they actually made up…else it was always Kashaf sulking and Zaroon manoing her :)…But happy that they ended on a happy note … I read the book review and it was quite depressing..glad they did not show all that and we would not have been able to watch Fawad as the actual Zaroon in the book that he was :P…ok now onto the next …Humsafar 🙂

@Lata: Hahaha!! You have to watch Humsafar and report back to @Afia after every ep! She is our resident HS expert and Im sure once you start ,.. we’ll have quite a few others chip in … we do have an open HS thread .. and also another post where we had celebrated the one yr anniversary !

LOL…yes SZ I have to watch Humsafar now…but still not got over ZGH so will take sometime to start watching HS…Fawad and Sanam sheer magic…eagerly looking forward to Fawad’s Khoobsurat…wishing him all the best and Sanam too. Great to know about HS thread looking forward to having discussions there. Thanks. Till then Zindagi Gulzar Hain 🙂

And SZ you asked about Maat…If I am not mistaken it was made into a Hindi show and just recently aired on Life Ok by the name Amrit Manthan…which was kinda of ok to begin with but did not like the plain jane actress in in Dimple who for me is a total non actor :P….and I hardly watched it as it kept stretching like a never ending elastic…the kids shown towards the end were really cute.

@Lata: Hey! I actually dont know abt the remake .. but the PK one I did see and it was extremely popular here (as in PK) , but I just could not stand it LOL! So not to bias you or anything against it, but was asking you b/c I was interested in reading what you thought of it …Like for example as you can see ^ ZGH was quite a ride, with so many for and a few of us against it and it made for more than a few heated discussions 😉

Hai. recently i started read ur comments & review on ZGH. I do mis that show. infact i hv withdrawal syndrome. before watching zindagi channel i already finished ZGH on youtube. But after seeing in TV i dont know wat hapned. i dont like 2 watch any other serial. yes i do agree humsafar is very good. umpteen times i watched humsafar on you tube. and im following crazily after Fawad. wat hapnd 2 me, its obsession. but i cant control myself. everyevening i mis ZGH. without touching the herion u can express love with ur eyes (i.e wat he did in this serial). Humsafar is different from ZGH. he looks younger in ZGH, whereas in humsafar he looks matured. but still verygood. ZGH me kashaf match with Zaroon. she is such a good voice. i really like it. both Fawad & sanam saeed have such a good voice. jaise serial me kashaf kehati hai uski aawanj kan me sunaiyi derahihe, it hapned 2 me also. everytime i remember their dialogues. itna crazy me kabhi nahi thi. yes Behadd also i watched. its ok. but fawad looks sometimes beemar hogaya jaise. i dont know wat his weight issues in ZGH he looks good, humsafar he looks very lean. i dont like d ending of Behadd. But because of his killer looks i watch this one. sorry thoda lamba sa likhdiya. i desperately wants 2 share my feelings.

Hi Rohini…we can understand what you are going through…all of us sailing in the same boat..me too still having hangover of ZGH…Sanam Fawad were like magic…did they show Behadd on Zindagi …I missed it ya…yeah I agree Fawad hope he is taking care of his health…I feel worried seeing his thin frame…He looks his best in ZGH…sigh….droolworthy 😛

Hi Lata, thank u 4 responding. Zindagi not yet showed Behadd. I saw this one in You Tube. its good one. I think its his recent Telefilm.He looks very thin and with Beard not happening. but the way he looks is very romantic. ya he looks best in ZGH……. Humsafar he is okay in someplaces ( i mean his looks). all d interviews i saw in YouTube he looks very thin and different from the way he showed in ZGH. …….he is the best in ZGH. one interview he said he likes his character in ZGH. one thing is sure, indian serials starting is good, after sometime they lost their plot. after watching indian serials i never get dipressed. i dont understant whether i should be happy 2 watch pak serials or not. after watching every serial if u get dipressed. its not happening 4 me. last time i went dipression 4 whole week after d death of Mihir Virani ( character of Ekta Kapoor Serial). but this time i hv become very crazy about ZGH. 24X7 im thinking abt d dialouges.

al d time i watch d best clips of ZGH & Humsafar. one more thing MAAT is different from Amrit Manthan serial. i like 2 watch all d shows of sanam & Fawad.

LOL…Rohini that was a cute reply. Eh by the way were you a part of ilovetv groups…when you said Mihir Virani just struck me. Yeah I can understand and also the depressing part. That’s why though I try not to get too attached to a show but somehow I tend to and keep dreaming about them day and night. Now Fawad Sanam’s phobia has struck me and I am stuck and going crazy. How is Behadd…a friend was asking…and looks like I am promoting Fawad Sanam and Paki shows like crazy as have recommended to a lot of friends and they are absolutely glued to it. LOL.But why not..Good content and good products is what we all want.

hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaa… lata u r guess is correct. i love 2 watch serials this is d first time im writing abt d serial…otherwise im a good story teller(people used to say this)… i wish fawad & sonam promotion karne ka credit hum donoko dede. even i recommended all pak shows 2 my frnds. they also started watching these serials. i wish i can read ZGH original book. Behadd is basically Masuma (character’s name) ki jyada he. fawad is there , but he is okay. i just started watching Akbari Ashgari (becasue its fawads favorte serial). again im going crazy… god pl save me. if u have time watch Humsafar. its good serial. but not like crazy ZGH. there r so many loose threads in this serial. but still pick up after Zaroon & Kashaf Marriage. Humsafar picks up after 5th episode. watch it and we can go on and on…..

LOL Rohini..so true they can very well make us promoters for Khoobsurat now :D…today I recommended it to my boss too :P. Oh have yet to watch all those shows that you mentioned but as of now not yet got over ZGH and the lure of watching Fawad and Sanam 🙂

Ya Afia I read that..and makes me sad…wishing Fawad all the best and long and healthy life. Hope he keeps well. the Promos of Khoobsurat are all over and for his sake I am ready to tolerate the fake Sonam too 😛

Hmm…yeah I can understand…I could not stand the Indian show as well and the subject so skipped watching Maat too..though I do watch at times Kaash mein teri …its too depressing and makes me sad too though realistic as well and thats all the more sad.

I did not have any idea about this show, even during its telecast on Zee Zindagi. I by chance saw the show’s recap episode and was taken aback by how lucid and interesting the storyline was. I know I have joined the discussion quite late in the game..But I would love to give my 2pence on the entire show…I hope to get some response on the same:
– A lot of people have discussed on how chauvinistic Zaroon was during the show. I think even today men, especially in South Asia think like him, and in someways I don’t think he is wrong. Before all you feminists come after me I would like to clarify.. I dont think he is wrong as he was very frank about it throughout with all his relationships…He expected that as a man the one person who he could completely depend on and have expectations from was his life partner..Like he said, he does not want a woman who will listen to everything he says and have no mind of her own, or a “pair ki jooti”. What he expected from a wife was a woman who would put him and their family first above all other priorities..He wanted a woman who would understand that after marriage the woman is constantly judged by her behavior and any hint of impropriety will raise comments which a self respecting husband would not like to hear from someone else’s mouth.
– A lot of people commented on Kashaf’s emotional strengh through the serial.. I accept that she really was the soul of the show with Zaroon being the heart.. I think Kashaf was running from Zaroon all the time as she felt somewhere that he is the only one who would incite some kind of reaction from her where others couldn’t..She knew that by associating with him, either by friendship or marriage will open a pandora’s box which will force her to examine and even admit to the feelings she has for him.
– Kashaf’s relationship with Zaroon made me realize that married couples are the same all throughout the world.. The scene where he says that if he would be born again he would never marry again and Kashf says “me too” reminded me of the innumerable arguments i would have with my husband with similar dialogues. Also the way she handles the arguments with Zaroon tells me that world over working women tend to have the same impressions on men and have to face the same issues with their husband.
– Saying that Kashaf couldn’t have asked for a more understanding husband than Zaroon. The reason I say this is that in a lot of incidents like; when she first refused to take money from him, when she repeatedly refused to acknowledge her feelings for him, when she refused to tell him about her loan for her mom’s house, are incidences where a more rigid or old fashioned husband would have not taken in stride. I agree that the Asmara Affair situation could have been better handled by both of them, and the Zaroon should have apologised, still it was because he was understanding that Kashaf could admit to the feeling she had for him.
– Many people felt that maybe Kashaf wouldn’t have called Zaroon had she not been pregnant with girls….I agree, but many a time a child helps get over misunderstandings and get a couple together. This is because a child is always the best part of the couple and will always need both parents. If there is love and companionship within the couple which is being tested by misunderstandings & arguments, the child will always remind you of the better and happier time in the relationship which will force one or the other to give in.. Giving in does not make you weaker, it just ends the tiff and forces you to move on.. many a time when one partner gives in the other lands up understanding their mistake and apologizing. I think Kashaf realised that if she took the first step, she will be able to get her partner to understand that she needs him, and that she is ready to listen to his end of the issue.

I know my post is really long and that many won’t read through.. But I would love some feedback just to get other people’s point of view.

Another favour is to ask for some good Pakistani serial recommendations which does not have any of those teary eyed “masoom aurat” who is tortured by everyone…

Any good rom-coms and realistic ones like ZGH & Aunn Zara would be appreciated

@Aparna: Welcome 🙂 its always better late than never…plus we here just love discussing about dramas be at any time..
I appreciate your input and somewhat agree to your points as well.. In my opinion, the characterisations written for both main characters were somewhere half backed.. Its like basic theme was very well set about characters but the evolving of those needed more time… Having said that i hope anyone can join in our discussion and share their analysis 🙂

I would like to recommend you Coke Kahani.. An excellent 13 episodic rom – com and very amazingly written ,directed and acted… Other than that its Daam,.. 🙂

Thanks soo much for your feed back.. I thought I joined in soo late in the discussion that no one would bother to reply.. but thanks again for your feedback. Ireally do not have anyone here to share my views on ZGH so i constantly am trolling the internet for blogs where I can discuss my insights with fellow fans…lovely talking to you.. and Coke kahani is definitely on my list, looking to add Daam also..

Great to see ZGH getting such a fab response in India…. It’s been a while since I saw this show but now that I read all the responses it’s coming back to me…things like Kashaf not accepting money from Zaroon and their seperation etc. I too, did not find Z as chauvinistic as some did. He didn’t seem such a flirt to me at all….a little gup shup is not so bad- there are far worse things happening around! I for one, was quite ok with Z’s character -even though I think SZ wasn’t 😉 Maybe I am used to the general punjabi nature of men here or maybe my vision was clouded by a certain Mr. FK playing Zaroon….
And yes, human nature is common around the world- but specially in our two countries.

Have you read all the ZGH reviews and comments on SZ’s blog….there’s enough feedback there to keep you busy for a month 🙂

About other shows….One of my favs is “Akbari Asghari” (FK again with some great actors)-part of it is set in rural Punjab and part in England- it’s hilarious and great fun- specially if you are able to understand a lil punjabi (don’t worry, even if you don’t know punjabi, you’ll still get it)

Another good one is “Kuch pyar ka pagalpan bhi tha” – FK and Mikaal Zulfiqar with Sanam Baloch (who’s also in AA, and in Nurpur ki rani) and Ayesha Khan….This is also great fun- had some editing issues but all in all a great watch. Both of these are directed by Haissam Hussain who made Aun Zara.

Thanks soo much.. I read about Akbar Asgari & Kuch pyar ka pagalpan bhi tha as I have become a huugggee fan of Fawad Khan.. he is yummy and I just loved the way he flirted with Kashaf in ZGH…My favourite scene of theirs is when she lists all his girlfriends and when he asks to leave one out as he did not like the sight of her, she asks that he did not like seeing her also, and he says that “app to mujhe chudail lagti thi”.. The way she flustered for a second and replied, and the frustration in his face after that conversation just left me feeling that I wish I had been a fly on the wall to really witness it. Anyway Akbar Asgari & Kuch pyar ka pagalpan bhi thaare on my list after my current watch which is Humsafar.. loving the chemistry between the main leads…

Hey @SZ, thanks soo much for this wonderful forum to discuss ZGH.. I think you have a wonderful platform whre anyone can leave behind some thoughts on what they felt was what made this serial memorable…Guys.. If some people are still reading up on this blog..would love everyone to list down their favourite moments from ZGH.. those really special scenes that you would love to watch again and again..I will start with mine:
– The scene where he says “app to mujhe chudail lagti thi”
– The scene where Zaroon tells Sir Abrar that he wants to propose to Kashaf
– Their wedding night
– The moonlight scene
– The scene at Kashaf’s house where they talk in SMS’s
– The scene after the moonlight scene where she writes her true feelings of how much she will miss him when he leave
– Their dinner date
– The scene where he says “agar main phir paida hua to main kabhi shaadi naa karta” and she says “main bhi”
– The scene where Zaroon is trying to come up with a way to speak to Kashaf and lands up calling to ask her schedule
– The last episode scene where Kashaf finds Zaroon sleeping in the bed beside her

There may be many scenes I missed.. but these were some of the more prominent scenes which is ingrained in my memory.. The happier scenes like the last montage and the magni scene was good and will be in most people’s list.
I hope people will respond so that we can renew those sweet memories of Zaroon and Kashaf

@Aparna: thats very interesting.. Hmmm my favourite moments that made me go “Awww” were 😉
When Kashaf after wedding is getting annoyed on Zaroon’s clumsy nature and how he is unorganised.. The way she says kal maasi aayegi tou kya sochegi and what follows on….. Hahah i loved that

The car journey on first day of wedding when they go to Kashaf’s mother home and he took out the luggage.. Hayee

I also loved that scene which u have mentioned,the one she writes about her feelings that how much she will miss him

The scene where he asks her to make him drink tea when she was drinking… And with that the Epic chai ka cup which made kashaf said yes that scene was damn cute too 😀

Yaar rehmat thank you..you reminded me of these scenes…these scenes made me also go awwww… I think that the dialog in the car journey scene when she says that “agar us din aage baithi hoti toh aaj yahaan baithi nahi hoti” shows that somewhere she acknowledged that because of her restraint and her values, Zaroon respected he enough to marry her..In a way that shows unfortunately the mindset of many men who feel that women who are free with men are only good to take along for a ride.. not to have as life partners….This is a hypocrisy that is very rampant and was taken up in a good way in ZGH where Zaroon had to bear the brunt of Kashaf for being the flirt with women almost till the last episode. She loved him first and started to really respect him much later..

@Aparna: Hey!! I am so so sorry!! I don;t know how I missed out on replying to your post, but please do accept my sincerest apologies .. been a crazy few months, isliye been diff to keep up .. but hopefully you’re still following the thread and will read this!

Re: your favorite scenes, You are a true romantic arent you 😉 I think you have listed some of the most popular scenes. Along with these Zaroon/Kashaf scenes, I think some of my other fave scenes were the camraderi b/w the two sisters, the last scene of the first ep when Rafia packs Kashaf’s lunch and walks her to the bus stop with her tooti chapal in her hand.

In many ways it has been very interesting to see the overwhelmingly positive reaction from Indian audiences as compared to the Pakistani viewers. While the majority loved it in Pak as well, there were others like myself who did feel that in many ways the first half of the serial was disjointed from the second half. Morever, even as there were many positives and recognizable traits that were very well depicted, as you rightly pointed out, but then for me there were way too many question marks over so many things that I never really fell head over heels in love with ZGH, it was good, but not memorable.. won’t bore you more wit my take, since most of my peeves are well documented in the reviews and convos that followed 😉

That said, like everybody else I too would highly recommend that you watch Humsafar and Dastaan, among other FK starrers.

Will look forward to hearing more from you about how you found the other serials in comparison to ZGH, and hope to hear your detailed take on other PK serials you might’ve watched in the interim 🙂

I am in tears with the final episode. I can corelate myself with character of kashaf in some traits. Zaroon’s character has been amazing. He has been an eye candy to watch in each episode. Such optimistic and beautiful message this show gives. HUGE HUGE FAN of ZINDAGI GULZAR HAI. ! Shows like this should be made more and more, ! PS – It was the first pakistan based show i ever watched. such sensible displays..! KUDOS !!

AKANKSHA MANUJA: Hi, thanks for dropping in and sharing your views 🙂 Awww!! I;m so glad you enjoyed ZGH to the extent that you could relate to them. Yes, Kashaf was hugely popular among girls after the serial ended. LOL! If youre an FK/Zaroon fan then def do not give his Humsafar, Akbari Asghari, Dastaan ad Kuch Pyar Ka Pagalpan a miss 🙂

If you would like us to suggest some more names of good Pakistani dramas to follow, we would be glad to help out 🙂

I completely agree with you and not even once I felt through this drama that Sanam Saeed is actually uncomfortable in speaking urdu. She as Kashaf delivered Umera’s lines so beautifully and convincingly. I found her urdu and dialogue delivery perfect. All her diary entries and her monologues were beautiful, deep and they made you think, observe and question yourself. The intonation in her voice was perfect, the emotions she showed through voice modulation and her expressions were priceless. All in all Sanam made me believe “Kashaf”. I guess no one could have done this better or even as good as her.

I do agree that the finale was kinda rushed, especially after the epi where Kashaf dreamt of Zaroon sending a divorce her way (my heart sank when they showed that).. But there are a lottt of things one can learn and take home from this series.
The series shows us the details of the before and after marriage life of kashaf and zaroon which makes clear why they behave or reason out the way they do. But they take a long time to figure that out leading to complications and its beautiful that inspite all that, they choose to work it out, not coz of their children but coz of their own will. My faith is stronger in the belief that most of the times we have no idea what life the other person has lead and we should try to understand the others insecurities.

After reading so many comments and reviews I just want to say that I am totally in for ZGH than HS. ZGH is the best commercial drama I have seen so far. Each and everybody was perfect for their roles. The lead pair was just perfect for their parts and the chemistry was so evident and convincing. You want them to be together. But I sincerely think that because of Fawad Khan’s over popularity and good looks, Sanam gets deprived of the credit she deserved for this drama. I am in all and every way for team Kashaf which doesn’t mean at all that I dislike Fawad or his acting. He was commendable as Zaroon and I anytime would prefer Zaroon over Ashar but Sanam Saeed deserves much more appreciation and credit for portraying Kashaf with sheer brilliance. She was the actual reason for me to watch this show. Beauty or good looks is never a thing for me to get attracted but talent is and surely this girl has huge amount of talent. She simply brought Kashaf to life and made us believe that Kashaf is for real. And what I personally feel about ZGH is that this drama is flawed, this drama was not perfect but this was the actual theme of this drama that nothing is perfect and beauty lies in imperfection. Neither the hero nor the heroine was perfect. I feel that Khirad of Humsafar as a character was more stereotypical and too soft and sweet while Kashaf was more like a real breathing living woman with her own faults and flaws. She was not too sweet not too bitter but a real normal human being with her own qualities and faults, with her own highs and lows. And even Fawad as Zaroon was more relatable and convincing than Ashar. I was so surprised and hurt that how can Ashar believed and fell for the trap created by all people against Khirad if he really loved her so much and never even tried to sort out or find out the truth for all those years until Khirad showed up on his door for her daughter’s treatment. I am really sorry but Humsafar was much more filmy and unreal to me while ZGH dealt with real scenarios and real people and real life. Honestly Kashaf inspired me so much. Her strength of character, her strong values, her determination and her stand for her views everything was so true, convincing and terrific. For instance that episode where Zaroon was dropping Kashaf home after the concert, no matter what but Kashaf refused outright to sit in front seat with Zaroon. Generally such small things are not taken into consideration. But to show and convince Kashaf’s strength of character these small details have been taken care of. Even after the reunion as professionals Kashaf never gives in for Zaroon, no matter how hard he tried or how charming he seemed to be. She was not moved or I should say not impressed by any of Zaroon’s tricks or phone calls. Kashaf was completely focused in her life, she has to finish her studies, no time for friendships or love, she has to become independent and end the misery of her family which she did so brilliantly.Kashaf finally gives in only after marrying Zaroon. Not even once Kashaf character seemed pseudo to me. She completely behaves the way she should in each and every situation. Though I do agree that she was a bit too cold towards Zaroon after wedding, she could have been a little more soft and expressive as a wife but I can easily neglect it in front of the portrayal of Kashaf in such a true and strong way. Also ZGH deals in with sibling relations so well unlike other dramas. Be it Zaroon and Sara’s relation and their understanding and evolution as brother and sister or Kashaf and her sister’s relationship and compatibility with each other. Sidra was a sweetheart playing a perfect younger sister.

As far as finale is considered, I myself did expect a small apology or a beautiful hug when Kashaf finally confessed her love for Zaroon. But I guess in Pakistani dramas you don’t get to see so much physical romance and that’s okay. The last part where pregnant Kashaf and Zaroon were walking and trying to blame each other for the minor separation was quite cute in my opinion. Even if it was acting, Kashaf did speak her heart out in the form of those cheap filmy dialogues. And that line of Zaroon “taange tod dunga” and the way Kashaf surrenders so easily to it was so beautiful and actually the validation of their complete acceptance of each other as life partners and was a kind of declaration of their ultimate love to each other. I didn’t find ANYTHING wrong with the finale. Their final hand in hand walk on the beach was a perfect ending for me and it did make me believe that Zindagi is indeed gulzar.

All in all I consider ZGH as a very beautiful and real drama with its message clearly delivered. I find Kashaf totally convincing and inspiring and I really want to be like her. I would love to have a husband like Zaroon, so flawed yet so perfect, a mother like Rafia with so much patience, maturity, perseverance and love and family like Kashaf had both her mayka and sasuraal.

Hi Afreen, completely agree with each n every word of yours…reading ur comments I felt as if I have written this piece….

Although I am waiting eagerly for Humsafar, I don’t think I can like anyone else except Sanam Saeed with Fawad…maybe we saw ZGH first n this might be the case of “first love being the most special of all..

moreover, don’t really like Mahira Khan after watching her talk show n then seeing her in Tonight with HSY…she comes across as a little fake personality unlike Sanam Saeed who seems to be quite straightforward in her interviews…lets hope the perception chanhes after watching HS

Hi Samrita, well I dnt dislike Mahira as a person n well I hv watched Humsafar before ZGH on net but still I find Zaroon and Kashaf more realistic and relatable than Ashar and Khirad. My preference will always be ZGH over HS. Though it is not that bad infact it is loved and acknowledged by thousands. and there are certain moments in HS as well where u feel their pain n u find them convincing but fr me as an overall package ZGH is class apart n Sanan Saeed is just fab. ai hvnt seen any other work of Mahira Khan apart frm HS so I cnt really comment on her as an actress but I hav watched a lot of Sanam’s work and it speaks volumes of her. Well wt to say I am sounding like a mad fan of Sanam.
No negative feelings fr Mahira at all. and Samrita I hope u do like HS 🙂

Hi Samrita, I totally agree with you on this…I too never liked Mahira…her talk shows and her acting is also nothing to rave about especially after Sanam Saeed’s Kashaf….I mean can you imagine anyone else in this role….no way….Sanam comes across as a natural in her performances and in her interviews too she seems so sensible …..And like you it is only ZGH all the way….Humsafar was like a pukka hindi serial…..I think putting aside the politics…Dastaan with Fawad and Sanam Baloch was superb….there too wonderful chemistry between Hassan and Bano…..I would like to see Fawad with these two actresses……they sure do complement each other…..glad to read your review Samrita…….

Hi, I am from India and after watching khubsoorat a friend asked me to see ZGH on youtube and boy-o-boy was i bowled over by the drama……I mean the sheer romance…the chemistry between the actors……the brother sister,sister sister bonding…..mother daughter bonding, the dignified acceptance of his wife’s frequent absence by zaroon’s father…..the father son understanding……Sir Abrar and Zaroon bonding…..each and every character was as real…it was as if it was unfolding in front of you for real. I generally do not watch serials but did so on the avid insistence of my friend and now am suffering fron withdrawal symptoms myself. Whenever i saw Kashaf and her notings in the diary…you could relate to it…..it may have taken place in the lives of so many women…..I was blown away by this serial. I could not relate to HS at all….found it filmy and liked FK and SS chemistry better….more natural. and to sum it up all….FK is romance and romance is FK …sigh…..as someone rightly mentioned in this blog he could for all romance a sack of potatoes and it would seem real…..I wonder how his wife feels about all this….acting with talented and pretty women …..I sure would feel very J.

Thanks once again for this blog….felt wonderful reading the comments…..

I have watched this serial quite a few times but don’t think can ever get tired of it.

Though loved Humsafar but nothing can beat ZGH (even with all its flaws) n Sanam Saeed (I hope she knows how much she is loved by her Indian fans) with Fawad Khan (I am sure he is already well aware of the love and respect we Indian fans feel for him n his talent)

Thank you Sultana Siddique, Umera Ahmed n Momina Duraid for giving us this gem n thanks Zindagi for bringing it to us.

Thanks SZ for giving us this opportunity to share our views through this blog.

@Samrita: 😍here you go 😉 Nahin yaar, not crazy just very cute … isn’t so fun to be able to share this excitement with like minded friends, all of whom are equally happy to sigh and drool and rant n rave like teenagers abt our faves 😉 I’m pretty sure like almost all of us here you too are a very “mature” person in real life haha!

Mature i don’t know but yeah people around me expect me to be that being a mother of 2 n a career woman till a couple of years back.

But, but, but these dramas and ur blog has made me feel like a happy teenager with like minded friends like we used to have. This is something i am doing for myself in my “Me Time” n loving every moment of it. To d extent of being excited like a child when he gets his favourite toy.

Samrita, I too am a mother of an 8 year old and a career woman till 8 yrs back, but reading your review was being me all over…..same excitement and feelings here……..I have watched ZGH so many times but that will not stop me from watching it on Zindagi…but are they showing it once a week only …..I too am a die-hard fan of romantic novels……..glad to know that there is someone who thinks like me too…..
.:)

Friends…I too would love to join you ladies here….just loooove ZGH and felt Humsafar was really depressing though…….me too crazy about Fawad and Sanam and the show and reminded me of my serial crazy days while I used to watch KZK and other shows and my craziness for Mr.Bajaj 🙂

Welcome to the group Lata, ……do watch Dastaan for the Sanam Baloch and Fawad Khan chemistry and performances par excellence while keeping aside the politics…….that too was a wonderful pairing and wonderful music…….remains etched in the memory……..but at the same time very sad…..many a times had tears in my eyes…….

beautifully written Laksh and Samrita and sums up my feelings too for the show for FK and SS….<3 just love love love that show and both….did not get hooked to any show since a long time till this one…wowwww and it was shown during Ramadhan and it being a 1/2 day here felt as if it was aired only for me 🙂

Hi Lata and Laksh, welcome to the group. SZ’s reviews are a treat for fans like us n most of the times it is spot on. But I still feel she along with some of my friends here has been a little harsh on ZGH. While this was a complete package, HS was a typical run of the mill love story though I must admit, HS came out so beautifully due to excellent direction and acting. Fawad was excellent from d word go but even Mahira picked up quite fast n suited her role quite well. Being a Mills &Boons fan since I was a teenager, I couldn’t help comparing the two serials with a typical M&B plot. Loved both the serials but at the risk of being repetitive, I would still say that ZGH had an edge over HS. The other day, whilst watching HS one of my family members commented that ” Main toh pichhle kai episodes se issme sirf rona dhona hi dekh raha hoon”, so I think Lata that is how even you felt whilst watching it.
As for the romantic scenes, I don’t think I have ever seen anything on tv that is more beautiful than Kashaf-Zaroon romance from episode 18-21. Ooooohhhhh, can I ever get over it?

Laksh, even I loved Dastaan n just loved Fawad-Sanam Baloch’s awesome chemistry in it but it shook me emotionally and so much that it will be a lil difficult for me to watch it again after 8th episode. I would still say its a must watch for a Fawad fan.

Lata n Laksh, there is another serial on air these days which is beautiful so far. Its Sadqay Tumhare n features Mahira Khan who is looking beautiful n doing full justice to her character of a girl head over heels in love. You can also read SZ’s review on this drama.

And finally, I am very glad to have found like minded people such as you two and I would also like to say that you will love visiting this blog as we have some wonderful friends from across d border as a part of this group n it is great sharing our views with them. Waqai, like Zindagi channel’s tag line, these dramas n this blog surely Jodey Dilon Ko.

Hi Samrita and Laksh…thks for the warm welcome…I had been here while watching ZGH…and loved SZ and everyone’s discussions here…really intelligient ones and reminded me of my earlier tv forum days and the healthy discussions. HS might have clicked big time as I guess it was first shown there and later ZGH…but we through Zindagi channel got to watch the best that is ZGH first…HS totally paled in comparison to that….though it might be happening in some parts of the world but it seemed more unrealistic in today’s world…atleast for a well educated and working person like Farida who would stoop so low. But have to give it to Fawad for carrying his role with conviction…Mahira was good and looked pretty too but was timid and had nothing much to do but to cry…thats just my point of view and apart from the depressing part….on the other hand ZGH striked a more positive of a atta girl Kashaf who was so self respecting and independant that she did not even take a penny from her wealthy husband in the beginning…any self respecting working girl would behave that way….and Fawad and Sanam’s chemistry wow…blowed over by their sheer onscreen magic.only somewhat filmy was the part where a wealthy, handsome, rocking person who has all girls swooning over him was eager marry a plain jane like Kashaf coming from a poor family who had nothing apart from her attitude and selfrespect intact :)….that’s where we suckers for M&B love stories got hooked to in the first place……would love to see Dastaan too and will wait till it airs on Zindagi and check out Sanam Baloch and Fawad’s chemistry too….But reading from Fawad’s interviews it looks like he gets along with Mahira more and he says he looks forward to working with her ….maybe his personal equation who knows :P….anyways lets enjoy our love stories and swooning 🙂

Thanks Lata, you may not get to see Dastaan on Zindagi as it an old 2010 serial……It is a very sad story…..but as Samrita has rightly put it…..you may not be able to watch all the episodes…..but watch it from 1 to 8th episode just for FK and SB……you can see the episodes on Youtube…….be prepared for some tears…….

Hi Lata, you are absolutely right abt HS n ZGH. I just read one of Fawad’s recent interviews where he was asked about HS n he mentioned that even he feels ZGH was better than HS but d latter was more successful.

About Fawad’s real life chemistry with Mahira vis a vis Sanam Saeed, you can watch the first episode of Tonight With HSY where these two were d guests. At least I felt the disconnect between the two, you may feel differently though. Please do let me know if you watch it.
As for Dastaan, I agree with Laksh n have doubts about it ever to be aired on an Indian channel. But u can definitely watch it on YouTube. Lovely drama.

@Samrita @Lata @Laksh hi to all of u..
Just to add to conversation, Fawad is very introvert, he almost has no close friends from industry.. He keeps everyone at a distance…
About Daastan, i really want to know how u c it as an Indian? Like if u ask me ‘A wednesday’ is one of my most favorite indian movie, besides the fact that terrorist were shown as ISI agents… I mean obviously indian movies will show indian perspective, y should it bother me? I should appreciate the art…
Btw one dialogue from Bhag milkha bhag touched my heart, About the riots at partition time Milkha’s friend later said “log buray nae hotay, haalaat buray hotay hain.. Us waqt b haalaat buray thay…”

Hi to you too Atty,……thanks for your input on FK….looks like here is a sensible guy who is well-grounded……it also shows in his interviews…..no airs,respectful and makes intelligent conversation. But having seen so many of his interviews alongwith Sonam…….What a torture he must have put up with and still come out of all this like a gentleman……His sugar levels must have been on an all-time high during and post Khoobsurat……poor guy. LOL

HELLLO GUYS…!!!!
I wholly wid u SZ and AFREEN …. and I would like to comment in Additon to what u have rightly analysed …
WHAT A CLASSs …!!!! dramas pakistan produces.. I am utterly awed, amazed and oVerwhelmed.I happened to watch dhoop kinarey on my cousins recommendation long bac ven kuch toh log kahenge had aired on sony.

Since than no clue about such treasures lying just in neighor…thanks to team of zindagi.
ZGH>>>WHAT A MASTERPIECE …I am so carried away wid the drama “Zindagi Gulzar Hai “that i hate calling it a “drama” even…!! It doesnt seem to be a drama to me….soo “real” wid esp in terms of characterization ….eps the lead protaganist KASHAF…There is no one left i knw jisse mein ZGH recommend nahi kiya hoga…
I was so intimidated wid the characters that i wanted to read the actual novel by UMERA AHMED…and so I Have dedicated myself to learning URDU ….and im lovin it…
I had downloaded it evn bfr it ended on zindagi and watched it like 100 times …and still this sunday 9th NOV was booked…
For Me the shining stars were SANAM as KASHAF and her mother SAMINA as RAFIA… utterely loved the portions depicting Kashaf and her struggle and her shiqves” Her conversations wid her mother …KASHAF wat a Stunning Work by you.
Zarooon was OK.. though a charmer and….quiet easy on eyes ….

SZ.
Seems u have an influx of Indian fans rooting for zgh out here. A lot many have compared it with HS n found the latter wanting. But before u start thinking all Indians like zgh over HS, let me correct that thought. Yes, zgh aired first on zindagi n was v well received and loved, but HS has captured the imagination of a far wider audience who for the large part hail it as a better show than zgh – as is the case worldwide 😊. I guess one reason for this is the fact that HS appeals to all age grps vs zgh that has been appreciated more by the younger lot. Then HS has mahira n Fawads mind blowing chemistry. Those who say they can’t see this chemistry… Well, what can I say- u missed something magical. Thankfully most Indians haven’t. They have loved -loved -loved their chemistry. They were crazy abt fawad post zgh, now mahira too is very popular here . Her Khirad has found so many fans. All around me, friends and family who were squealing over zgh saying it’s the best show ever , after watching HS, are rating it even better n comparing mk-fk to Srk- kajol Jodi. Infact, jitesh pillai, the filmfare editor has tweeted saying all those stuck with Zaroon-kashav, shud go watch HS to see amazingness!!

Coming to why HS has become such a hit in India . Guess it has a universal appeal as the saas bahu saga touches everyone- old, young, rich , poor. As is elsewhere, HS has been immensely appreciated by the men here too. They empathise with ashar being stuck BW his wife n momma. It’s as if their voices have echoed in this show. Lol. Like us, who watched HS when it was being aired on hum, they too liked the fact that ashar doesn’t leave his mom in the end but remains a dutiful son to her. Women have loved mahiras Khirad. Theyve loved her stoic n dignified self post return. And the raw undertones bw the two thereafter. Infact a pal went into a major discussion on what she thought was buzzing sexual tension bw the two and how Mahirah n fawad have essayed this conflict beautifully on screen. And then of course they have loved mahiras beauty and her clothes😄 Naveen too has found a lot of appreciation. As have all other actors.

HS ‘ story is nothing new, but the emotional play in it, is evergreen. Tugs at ur heart everytime u watch it. HS has immense repeat value. It will never be dated. That’s why to me, HS a classic along with the likes of dhoop kinare and Tanhaiyan.

Shows like durreshewar, Pyaare afzal and now sadqay tumhare have come close in appeal but not zgh. That one was a big disappointment to me. Too stretched and patchy. And the biggest crime for me was that they messed up a great story in the attempt to make another HS.

PS : gossip time: Got major insider dope on fawad when he Mumbai to attend the hello awards held last week… Some good, some 😝

Glad to say people like me here loved HS too but comparisons are there only bcoz of FK being a part of both the projects otherwise both d dramas r as different as chalk n cheese. Moreover, ZGH took India by storm first so like I said earlier, it is like the first love for most of us. Still I would say each to his or her own.

Lol Afia! Loved ur mahira comment. True that.. For me fawad n Sanam had very little chemistry. Btw, mahira is being very well received in India… That girl is luminous! She lights up the room. Her beauty along with her soft spoken nature is really being appreciated.More power to her. Shes a great ambassador for her country n industry. Much needed, coz the meeras , Veenas etc have done both a great dis service

Hi all!
Yes India is really welcoming MK and FK :). and lo and behold, Sanam Saed just tweeted that she was invited too but was too busy to go 🙂 Fikar na karein, woh bhi jald aaen gee. I wonder if there’ll be anyone left here, if all the good ones cross the border!
And yes, MK, FK are all great ambassadors for Pak. Thank God for the changing trends and girls from “good” families coming in to act.
Have you FK-Sanam Baloch fans seen Akbari Asghari? I love the show! It’s a must watch- drags a bit- but totally worth it. Kuch punjabi bhi seekh jao ge dekh dekh kar. FK has spoken about it being his fav.. Sadly SB is now married and might not act again soon, is hosting a show nowdays.

Yeah Afia, I have watched Akbari Asghari n what fun I had. I watched it late in d night when everybody else was asleep n used to wonder if my husband gets up he will think I have gone mad bcoz I couldn’t stop laughing. Though I didn’t like Sanam Baloch much in this one but Fawad’s mom, biji n dadaji were awesome. I would recommend this drama strongly to anyone who understands a bit of Punjabi. I just wish they air it on Zindagi so that more n more people can watch it.

Even I remember Fawad calling this one his favourite during a BBC interview. Please people do watch this one n not only for Fawad, it will make you laugh so hard (provided you understand Punjabi too as it has been used a lot in this one) that you might have tears rolling down your cheeks like anything.

Samrita,……you are so right….I have not watched Akbari Asghari entirely…but I loved Biji the most….I loved her in the scene where she is giving head oil maalish to Fawad in the courtyard……the love with which she was doing it ….what a natural…..god felt like bringing her home to me ….reminded me of my granny. and being from Bombay we tend to understand so many languages…….I was juggling between Inko dekhoon, Inko dekhoon kisko dekhoon…..LOL

Have provided a bit of the goss in my comment below abt how when fk was here to attend the hello hall of fame awards where he recd the best new face award, he sat thru the nite unsmiling …looking almost disturbed. It was very disappointing to most ppl who met him that nite coz he was the star whom loads of women attending the event were dying to meet. Then again, I am told he played quite the diva to attend by providing a big list of demands to the organisers. They almost asked him not to come as they were not willing to meet that many demands. Eventually they found some sponsors willing to extend him the hospitality he desired. But the funniest goss was that he drew up quite a huge laundry Bill in the two days he was here… Everyone is left wondering why that is so… A huge laundry Bill is strange, na. My pals concluded he must have some kind of ocd. Lol . She was also saying he is quite fragile looking now… Almost like a ken doll. One whiff and seems he will fly away. Nevertheless, he has quite the fan following in India now and given that the HS finale aired the previous nite, the timing was perfect for him.

I figure he must have been a bit nervous and out of depths that nite as he was with the whose who of india not only from Bollywood but other fields as well and must have thought it best to keep quiet thereby ending up looking morose and grumpy. But yes, hope he cuts down on his demands… Wont be entertained here. He is definitely popular but still has to make a mark in hindi films. And the Indy can be pretty harsh to people who get too big for their boots too soon . Hope that doesn’t happen to him.

U expected me to comment directly to mahira… Arre, I was toh planning to meet her during her trip here. Couldn’t to do so coz of lack of time…. But yes, she is one actor I will definitely want to meet sometime in the future. For her genuine nature and warmth.. Also she is very entertaining. I just watched the recent hsy episode with saba qamar- So disappointing. Love her acting but in this show she came across as a big wannabe. 😩

@indepgal. FK did look out of sorts in the hello pics.this would have been the perfect moment for him to charm everyone, safe in the adulation post HS and also surrounded by his home gang of Sonam and Arjun Kapoor. Right now every young actor is projected as high on energy, Ranveer is phenomenally energetic, Arjun is spontaneous and creative, Shahid is active and fun. I think FK has to project the energy level too.
I too had friends in the main sponsors of the show and they mentioned that FK was very well behaved but made no impact. even his acceptance speech was too short. One great thing my friends were mentioning was that FK faced complete acceptance from people in the room. There was a lot of cheering by young girls and women when he went up and all the big stars, AB etc were smiling most indulgently.
Reminds me of the conversation between Karan Johar(playing himself) and Hrithik Roshan in Luck by chance–” there is always an outsider who will come in and play a role which no one wants to-and that is how he will become the next superstar—Amitabh B and SRK”

Strange that FK was so much out of sorts that multiple people picked up on it. First reason that comes to mind is gharelu issues or maybe he was not happy with the organisers. Couldn’t be exhaustion…which it was at the Khoobsurat after party in Lahore. Was seen to be sitting quietly in a corner with his son and a couple of close friends. But that was only after 4-5 hrs of the film’s showing, interviews etc. Generally whenever anyone meets him, they only have good stuff to say about him.
Maybe he’d expected to be payed for attending, and wasn’t.

@molly.. Yup. He didn’t make an impact. His loss. He needs to losen up a bit. The chap is being so well received. He needs to leverage this popularity to go to the next level. I don’t think I will personally compare him to SRk and AB coz I don’t see him making that kinda mark in our movies. For one, he ain’t that versatile and like you said high on energy which is a must in today’s day. It’s not enuff just being a good actor. One needs to be great at self marketing too. Also he needs to work upward from scratch. Given the demands he is making post just one film, don’t think he will find too many takers in the long run. Another imp reason is logistics. Tough for a non indian actor to be that active in hindi movies. Visa, clearances and other constraints could act as dampers. Having said that, I am waiting to be pleasantly surprised.

@afia the hello chaps never pay anyone to attend. Fawad is just a beginner here. Wonder why he made so many demands when he fully knows he stands to gain so much visibility by attending these awards given their popularity and exclusivity. He makes it to the cover with other A listers. Why would he endanger that. He is popular yes, but he should realise that he is an outsider too and not for him are they gonna be extending privileges they might be willing to extend for an industry insider like say sonam. Not for long that is. If he develops the reputation of being difficult , he is finished here. Currently, he l is the new flavour of the season but if he isn’t careful he may end up losing goodwill that may lead to declining popularity on account of diminishing visibility. Take the case of shahid Kapoor. Good looking, good actor,, versatile great dancer, has a huge female fan following but his career is so unstable. He’s never realised his full potential. a large part of that is allegedly attributed to his demanding nature and disorganised managerial staff.

Hi, being a die hard Fawad fan from India, I’d like to believe that the gossip about him being difficult or demanding is just that- a baseless gossip, a rumour. There might be other reasons like Afia mentioned for him not being his smiling self as he is generally considered quite courteous.
As for him being an outsider, I don’t think its fair to write off someone or underestimate him just bcoz he comes from another country (example Katrina Kaif). I don’t think many people feel he is not versatile. At least give him sometime to prove himself in bollywood.

As for comparisons with AB or SRK, that again is not fair to him. How many of our newcomers do we compare with these two then why single out FK. Moreover, even Amit ji was declared a flop in d beginning of his career but as destiny wished, he went on to become The Amitabh Bachchan. By saying this, I am not implying that he will be the next AB but lets give him some time to prove his mettle. SRK definitely is one of d biggest names in bollywood but I think even he will not agree being called a versatile actor as he himself says that he has got only 5expressions that he exploits whilst acting and it was his Raj/Rahul roles only that made him the phenomenon he is today.

All I want to say is that Fawad Khan has a big fan following in India and we wish him all d success this wonderful actor deserves.

Hi Samrita, you are right…….being a die hard Indian fan of Fawad Khan, I do hope he moves ahead in his career and from what I have read about him…he is an introvert and even at the Pakistani Awards function he comes across as sober and quiet….so maybe at the Hello Hall of fame awards he was very uncomfortable and tense……It is all just a matter of time and how Lady Luck favours him…….and without any bias towards him I do think that he is a versatile actor…..All the best to you Fawad…..and hope you take the right decisions at the right time….Good Luck

@samrita @laksh @Molly @indepgal.. everyone here wishes that FK does well in Bollywood. He is a superior actor than most in Bwood and we need some hero who can act and emote as well. There is a bit of tiredness with the template of heroes in Bwood. The next gen is also modeling itself on the 3 Khans, and truth to tell we need someone to break outta the box.FK emotes very well, he is understated, elegant and a natural actor. I am sure if producers cast him they will promote different type of stories as well. So he may NOT be required to do just what SRK is doing or Salman or Aamir. He can be the flag-bearer of a more real kind of romantic cinema. Maybe it will be multiplex cinema because I cant see the core Friday worker audience identifying with some hero who is so sophisticated. Maybe he will be like Ranbir Kapoor, who just cannot act larger than life. He can do substantial roles like Irrfan; he could even use Bwood to step in to Hollwood like Irrfan Khan or Anil Kapoor. And why do you forget that there is whole genre of the musical where a musician like he is can do very well. I just read he has an offer from Sujoy Ghosh, the maker of Jhankaar Beats. That’s a genre he would fit in like a glove.
Bollywood is a secular sea of talent and the best thing is that it always respects talent. Therefore purely from an artist’s perspective I have very high hopes FK will be successful here.

Interesting bit of inside info Indepgal..thks for sharing…surprised to hear about the demands and attitude of FK while he has everything timed perfectly for him now and has to make hay while the sun shines…yes I cannot even compare him to the likes of Big B and SRK the King ..he has a long way to go for that…but he surely some tips can he taken from their lives especially SRK who started from scratch and now rules the world..while he does not even have the looks of a typical hero…but its his sheer talent, dedication, humility and well grounded that is what makes him stand apart…coming back to FK the demands if he has actually made are so not happening and people here are quick to just reject him outright…Govinda who was a comedy king at one time due to his tantrums is really facing a tough time and trying to make a mark as a complete newcomer now…and thats sad ..I wish Fawad learns this fast and makes a mark and approaches some big banners like YRF or KJO so that he gets noticed…felt pity seeing him on stage with Sonam who was all the while trying to hog the limelight with her childish behaviour…wonder what FK must have been thinking in his mind :P…..anyways this is just a pov…hope he does well here.

LOL Afia that Mahira comment was funny indeed….She is quite an amibitious sort which we can see in her talk shows and looks like she is really interested in making it big in BW.Wishing her all the best too.

Samrita and Laksh I will try to check the shows you girls mentioned :).

Hi Atty…yeah loved that dialogue in Bhag Milkha Bhag…afterall we all share the similar kind of traditions and values and glad Zindagi channel is bringing us closer.

All said and done ZGH is still my favourite and HS did not really reach upto our expectations here.

Hi Lata, watched ZGH marathon yesterday….not the entire drama and you have written what I always feel, that for me too it is ZGH all the way…..even this time while watching it….I did not for even a moment feel that the actors were in front of a camera…..the dialogues….emotions…..even loved Kashaf’s step-mother with those colourful eyeshadows……how she and Murtuza made us feel strong dislike for them……kis kis ka naam loon main, and finally would love to get in touch with Umera Ahmed, just to know ki how on earth did she manage to write the dialogues, their depth…..both from the male’s and female’s point of view……so real….thanks Umera. …..dramas abhi khatm nahi hue, bas faraq yahi hai ki yahaan bohot se log iska sequel dekhne ki iccha rakhte hain, asha karte hain………iske part two aane se hamari zindagi aur bhi gulzar hogi…….:):)

@SZ
Im completely glued to this blog for some time now …..what m amazing blog to have discovered…and the fun part is ki dramas toh runtime finish kar end ho jaatey …but this conversation make it even more gulzaar. ….dramas here seem to have a ruuuh !!!

@ Indepgal
Nothing wrong wid your bantering about HS superior over ZGH …But the matter of fact is for us ZGH was our first love….and will remain .Actually it took quite a while for me to get used to her NOSE size on HD screen… But i loved her crying .

On the contrary, in ZGH the focus of script was overall Upliftment of each n every character irrespective of the Class or age group they belonged too .From the upper class Ghazala to nazimabad’s Shaneela.Only left at Allahs mercy was “Murtaza Saheb” .WHEREAS in HS there was a complete catalycsm , deluge of each n every charater except Mrs Hussain. I meann itni mahuusi fella di ending mein.
Plus i couldnt tolerate overdose of Sara n her fake accent ….!!! for HS the second was was more commendable while for ZGH the first half …

But HS is far from falling under the like of ankahi or dhoop kinarey or …..tanhaiyan or ……………………….any other classic for the matter of fact…

Commenting abt an actors nose is in very poor taste… This blog doesn’t subscribe to such views. Pls bear that in mind while commenting here. And yes, mahira is gorgeous.. Big nose , unplucked eyebrows Et al… She is a beauty and her imperfections make her more so.

As for as HS being far from a classic, well it is going downturn history as one… My saying so and urs not doesn’t matter on bit as it already is a classic.

Even I do agree that we should avoid criticizing anyone’s physical traits other than saying he or she was/wasn’t looking nice in a particular drama/episode. And I must say that even with imperfect features(if someone felt so), Mahira Khan looks gorgeous. Please watch Sadqay Tumhare as a proof.
Also, Sanam Saeed is not a conventional beauty but no one can question her talent n ability to enthrall d audience.

Hi everyone. Watched HS on Zee and then completing ZGH on youtube.:) both are very well shot. HS is a simple love story that only a traditional society like the South Asians can relate to. I think the actors there took it to another level. Only FK has the prodigious acting chops to depict such a flawed character like Ashar and invite our compassion and identification. On the other hand, Zaroon is a flawed but really charming character. I don’t understand why he gets called a flirt– he just seems to have many friends who are girls. In today’s life, most unmarried ppl move around in mixed groups. Most of the time they are not even interested in each other romantically, much to their parents’ exasperation. In fact he sticks to one girl Asmara and then Kashaf. So what is it that makes the character Zaroon so attractive? I think its because of his openness and his inability to pretend or hide. He is like water, all his moods, perplexities and insecurities are visible and he dosent hold back. In contrast, the character of Kashaf, very well portrayed by SS, is so secretive and so complexed. She is so ego driven and non-giving. I read in the earlier comments how the girls in PK were identifying with SS. I and my friends here in India were quite perplexed about it. Reason why? because, even if your circumstances have been unfair, there comes a time when you have to treasure what you have, you have to nurture and above all find thankfulness and joy. Very few, if any of us have perfect lives. some have great jobs but love is lacking, some have lovely families but no identity. Somehwere you have to stop blaming your circumstances and create your own happiness. In the beautiful nuclear family of Rafia, everyone except Kashaf are positive people. Sidra in contrast is so warm and forgiving and so is Rafia. Kashaf allows her hatred of her father to twist her personality. In real life a marriage between Kashaf and Zarron would not have lasted, because marriage is give, give and give.(for both partners) . where zaroon is concerned, I do condemn his keeping his meeting with Asmara secret and any wife is likely to fly off her handle. Other than this, really speaking, Zaroon dosent really falter much. All the Osama confusion— happens to every married couple I know and gets sorted out equally easily. What is needed playfulness in a relationship–completely lacking in Kashaf. A lot of things lose their power to hurt if you can tease the other about it. So according to most women I know (in India) they would never want to be like Kashaf, with her Daddy and trust issues. And being a working woman—- well in today’s world every girl works, so is that a very big deal?

So true Molly…very aptly put…..it is Zaroon’s openness and his easy acceptance of her nature that made the marriage last to this extent……in the later episodes she really hurts him so many times with her curtness and unwillingness to open up….and I know of so many of my friends who are guys who overlook so many of their wives negatives……….and this is one of the things that make marriages work……many husbands too would not have been so accommodating.

Hi Atty, I loved Dastaan. It was beautiful except I don’t have the heart to watch it again after the 8th episode because it makes me very sad and at times it dragged a bit. Secondly, I wanted to see Fawad n Sanam together at the end after all d pain n suffering Hasan n Bano had to go through. Maybe I am a sucker for happy endings. Loved their chemistry n found Fawad most adorable n lovable in this drama, more than even my favourite ZGH or HS.

As for my view on the political upheaval shown in d movie, I completely understand it was shown from Pak perspective still I feel it wasn’t handled insensitively as good n bad people were shown from both d sides. History is taught differently in both d countries so as to suit our politicians but d fact is people suffered on both d sides. Why I feel it may not be shown on an Indian channel is bcoz it may flare up negative emotions in some people who may not look at it d way some of us did.

I am completely in favour of peace n friendship amongst our two nations n sometimes wonder how wonderful it would have been if this partition had not taken place. We can still hope that we will see a day in our lifetime when we will be able to visit each other freely. I am so happy that actors like Fawad n Ali Zafar have joined bollywood n hope people like actor Shaan n Saba Qamar will stop criticizing them n rather help in bringing people together through art.

Samrita….have you seen Kuch pyaar ka pagalpan…..if not then please see it just for FK and Sanam Baloch…….wonderful performances and they should really act together more often….infact I feel their chemistry is much better than even MK and FK’s…….when you see them act….they so complement each other and it shows in their performances………you are so right Dastaan left me too very sad…I could not bear to see it further….the unrequited love……

Hi Laksh. Yes I have seen KPKPBT n liked it a lot. Fawad has played a very different role from his rich n suave Asher or Zaroon. Loved him as Mujtaba.

I really loved some of his scenes like d one when he gets offended by his chachi constantly calling him “bechara” n he says “chachi ab main itna bhi bechara nahin hoon, kaafi chara hai mere paas” LOL.
Then there was this “Hero wali entry” scene. This one was a classic. I felt so bad for poor Mujtaba but at the same time couldn’t stop laughing.

There were a couple of things that I didn’t like though. First was passing off Turkey as USA. The other was d non existent chemistry between Fawad n Ayesha Khan. Still this drama was a lot of fun n a treat to watch bcoz of Fawad, Sanam Baloch (in that horrendous hairstyle n ugly dresses) n also Mikaal Zulfikaar.

Yes….no chemistry between Ayesha Khan….just like I felt that there was no chemistry between Mikaal Zulfikar and Sanam Baloch……but then I wonder if it is because of seeing Sanam and Fawad together as a pair in earlier movies……it is like Fawad ke acting ke saamne Mikaal ki performance ekdum feeka pad gaya hai……

@Samrita Thanks for detailed reply.. I wish there r more patient and understanding ppl like u on both sides.. But i m afraid they r only a handful..
I pray for peace and friendship between both countries…
Shan and saba Q r not negative ppl.. They just want collaborations on equal basis, and i agree with them.. Saba Q recently in Tonite with HSY said that she’ll work in BW if offered roles opposite A-list actors.. That is the right thing to do.. V expect our top actors to work in good movies and not to become “cheap sell-outs in BW” (in Shan’s words).. Shan is working on Arth-2, indo-pak collaboration.. So he is not anti-india.. He just demands equal respect, afterall he is in buisness for so long.. Just think how would u ppl feel if SRK goes to work in some B-grade hollywood movie.. Obviously it is going to hurt his fans…
I m actually happy to know k FK is demanding and showing some attitude in india.. Given his stardom in Pak, he deserves it.. Agr un demands k sath kaam dena chahtay hain tau den, warna na den.. Pakistan me bhooka nae maray ga agr BW me kaam nae mila tau…

Hi Atty, I don’t think FK nay attitude dikhaya hoga…atleast seeing his interviews he comes across as well grounded and being in this profession for so long, he definitely would know how to carry himself…..these could be rumours and be it him or anyone else, in any profession it may be, agar unnecessary attitude dikhaya toh the individual themselves are at a loss and will suffer. Waise bhi he has mentioned in some interview that the reason for him to act in BW was for performing new and varied roles……..

@Laksh Hi! Yeah even i believe those r just rumours…
I dint mean attitude in a negative way.. Actually i like to c celebs with a manly attitude, some dignity, or a high self-respect like Amit ji or Amir khan.. Insan apni izzat khud krwata hai.. Jaisay Amir will not start dancing anywhere or wont flirt with female fans on camera… I appreciate that kind of attitude

Indifferent to what “self-respect” connotes for the celebs” ; In BW, the flirting or dancing with “female–fan/co-star irrespective of (celeb) their age”, does command respect as it gets you beyond the covetous-drooling-100 crore bar….Trends these days indicate that A-list is just an overtone to cover-up any-kind of explicit stuff u want to show without being a victim to censor scissors!!!!….

@Atty.. I really don’t know about Shan and SabaQ and their opinion. But even you will agree that FK or Ali Zafar are in a different league altogether. At the end of the day it is viewers like you and me who will put down our hard earned money and vote who we consider a good actor. I feel nationality dosent come into it… Bollywood is really secular and liberal that way. A case in point is Katrina Kaif…she is a britisher but still is among the top 3 heroines and I don’t think that has ever stood in the way of finding work. There are many non Indians in BW, and being closely associated with the industry, I can tell you the thoughts regd FK in the minds of producers are that visa issues shldnt mess up schedules.
As to your observation that he is not coming to India for earning… well, he himself said he wants new roles, exposure and an enlarged audience. Don’t know how well paid your tv actors are, but I assume he must be comfortable enough. I also remember some interview where he said he is “money-minded” and why shouldn’t he be? Money is not just bank balance but it is a direct appreciation of your talent. In my opinion, the market is a great equalizer. Whatever anyone might say, if there is demand of your talent, you will command the price. And I think FK is making the right choice…Khoobsurat made at a budget of 12 Crores.. would not have been a great money earner for him….Now the next film with Ekta Kapoor should give him the bigger bucks. I think FK is playing his cards very well.

Ali Zafar too started off with a really low budget film, TBL, and then today he is working with YRF.
Point I am trying to make is that one cant really bring in nationality into this decision. Any actor, from whichever country, has to follow a trajectory of growth.

As t the other actors, all one can say is that an actor cannot demand respect, he/she has to command it by virtue of their performance. At the end it is solely, FKs performance, which has opened the doors for him. It is Mahira’s performance which has made her a success in the three city tour.

Hi RD n Atty, we all have to agree that filmmaking is a moneymaking business. Be it Bollywood or Lollywood, actors or producers, everyone is here for their own profits n gains (monetary as well as fame).

I think Fawad Khan knows what he can achieve through bollywood n that is why he decided to join this film industry. At the same time, producers know his worth n what he can achieve for them. So, they are investing in him. In other words it is a simbiotic relationship between actors n production houses.

Bollywood today has arguably become the biggest film industry in the world n that is d reason artists from across d world (e.g. Katrina, Jaqueline Fernandes, Nargis Fakhrii, technicians from different field) are joining BW.

As far as actor Shaan Shahid is concerned, its good to hear that he is working on an Indo Pak project but till not very long ago he called Pak artists working in India “Cheap sell outs”. Ali Zafar, Zeba Bakhtiaar, Fawad Khan to name a few Pak actors have worked as lead actors in good productions n I don’t think these r examples of “cheap sell outs”. Moreover, I remember Shaan being sarcastic while speaking at a Lux Style Awards function about Khuda Ke Liye fame director Shoaib Mansoor working for a bollywood project. Glad to know he has changed his stand.

Saba Qamar, I must say is a very good actor n it would have been absolutely fine if she had just commented about working in bollywood only if offered a role opposite SRK or Ranbir Kapoor but degrading Emraan Hashmi like she did wasn’t in a good taste.

Like I have said in my previous comments that I am a die hard Fawad fan n want nothing but great success for him in Bollywood.

Absolutely, film-making is a ‘buisness’ and ppl r there to make money… No matter what FK says, obviously he is in BW for bigger exposure and more money..
Shaan said “cheap sell outs”, but in the same show he came to announce about Arth-2 and he tried to explain his opinion.. He was refering to few ppl like veena etc as “cheap sell outs”… Not all Pakistanis r working in good production houses, infact Javaid sheikh, ali zafar, zeba or FK r the only ones.. Many others have tried their hand at poor ones.. Leave Meera or veena, our super-star Humayun saeed worked in some B class movie.. Meekal zulfiqar also tried and failed…
Saba Q pointing out emran hashmi was not right, probably she was pointing at humaima malik working with him.. Bs aisa tau hota hai in shows me, they try to highlight controversies..
Katrina kaif exceling in BW: no doubt BW is very liberal and accomodating, but there is a huge difference b/w a british and a Pakistani.. Visa issues r first hurdle, and then v all know there is a huge portion of indian audience who r not willing to accept a Pakistani as their superstar… Thats y Ali zafar can only manage a supporting role in big productions… He talks about working with katrina in almost every interview, but v know he had a very small role in MBKD.. I don think Ali has achieved something really big in BW, where he prefered it over many good projects in Pak.. Role done by FK in khuda k liye was first ofered to Ali.. Recently he said he rejected the lead role in recently released sci-fi thriller Operation21, which is done by Shaan.. Thats a shame.. Had he done O21, given Ali’s fan following O21 would have done wonders for Pakistan film industry.. Thats where Shan seems correct.. Do something for Pakistan film industry, so that it can stand on its own feet

Hi Atty, saw Kill Dill recently and must say that it is a time-pass movie and here everybody is comparing Ali-Ranveer Jodi to Amitabh-Dharmendar Jodi, ……the chemistry the four actors have shared on screen was wonderful and though there are some flaws in the movie but people have loved it here. The interviews with the trio of Ranveer,Parineeti and Ali is crazy and one can really see the affection flowing amongst them….very rarely we get to see this…… Ali Zafar’s roles are growing slowly and we love his voice…..itni acchi deep awaz hai uski……I think slowly movie-making is changing….people’s views are also changing……as long as the story/performance/filming is good…..even small budget films will do well…….log shayad thakk rahein hain dishum-dishum dekhkar…….

About accepting a Pakistani superstar in BW…Atty my thoughts on this are (this is only my opinion) that given our huge population….there are so many youngsters waiting in the sidelines for entry into BW as singers/actors…we read so often in the papers about girls/boys walking out on their families,running away from homes just to act in BW………ki lagta hai pehle apne logon ko kyon nahi mile….I am sure if an Indian actor/actress were to act in a Pakistani serial….wahan bhi logon ko lagega ki arrey! hamaare yahaan kya actors ka shortage hai kya ……having said this I am waiting to see FK’s next movie………I feel that his performances are like a breath of fresh air……..:)

Lastly, I am sorry I have not thanked you SZ for this wonderful space ….where like-minded people share/exchange their views. Thanks a lot once again

@Atty.. well said.
A decade earlier even Katrina kaif wouldn’t have been acceptable to Indian audiences. Things have changed mainly because our own actors have gone to Hollywood and films are now shot extensively in other countries. Case in point is Queen, where other than Kangana Ranaut the entire cast was French and Japanese — and still it did phenomenaly well. Tourism and working abroad has meant that most of our audience is very open to the idea of cross-cultural experience. I don’t agree with you that a huge proportion will not accept PK actors. I don’t think any of Zafar’s movies did or did not work for his nationality. The fact that TBL is still a must watch on TV re-runs and also that Ali Zafar has been appreciated for MBKD had nothing to do with his nationality. In fact I think in both films, it is only Ali Zafar who benefited, none of his co-stars(apart from Kaif) got work afterwards. Maybe Ali should have done different work to be a huger success, but I for one doubt he himself would say he was discriminated against. It also depends on the actor himself, how he approaches work. Case in point, your Fawad Khan is also appreciated for his fine acting skills in Khoobsurat, his being from a different country is not a disadvantage. If only Indians were appreciated in Bollywood, then a lot of mediocre actors would have done better.

@Laksh, I don’t agree with you as regards restricting entry or access to people on any basis. This is the main reason why we have nepotism in the industry, producers say “arre, pehle mere ghar ka ladka/ladki hai usko chance dena hai nahi tau unhe kaun chance dega”. But thankfully, for the viewers, most of them don’t get to inflict torture after one movie. exclusion is always counter-productive.Just look at the number of foreign technicians, musicians working, DOPs in BW now. They get work because they are better than others and they also raise the proficiency of industry as people learn from them. even in artists, Rahet fateh ali, atif, adnan sami all are frequently utilised singers and get work because of their talent. no music producer says let me use kumar sanu or hariharan because he is Indian.
same way as our software industry now works-we send huge numbers out of the country and we get so many people from other countries. today if we stop them coming our own workforce will be unwelcome. so many of top MNCs are headed by Indians and so many of our own MNCs are headed by foreigners. the current motto in “make in india”, not “made in india”. so the idea is to make world class products using global talent, in the country, not rely on indigenous talent solely. Just not possible to be isolationist in global world

@Laksh yeah glad that Kill/dil has finally brought him to limelight.. I would say a lot of credit goes to Ranveer and parineeti.. Boht achay sey promote kiya hain unho ney Ali ko, they r genuine friends..
@Samrita u mentioned Shaan criticizing Shoaib mansoor.. i have no idea what went on during Khuda k liye days.. i was out of touch due to busy schedule of my Med school.. but i will take this oppurtunity to tell u all about Shoaib mansoor.. He is like Raju hirani of Pakistan.. Multitalented, limited body of work but all of it is super-hit.. He is writer, director, producer, musician, and most of the time he also handles the camera in his projects.. As a musician and lyricist, he gave us the most popular national song DIL DIL PAKISTAN and most loved pop band till date ‘Vital signs’.. As a director, he gave best comedy show “Fifty- fifty” in 80s, a classical serial “ANKAHI”, best music video “Ishq mohabbat apna pan”, best travel show “GULLS N GUYS”, an Army based dramas “Sunehray Din” prequel to MY MOST FAVORITE DRAMA OF ALL TIME “ALPHA BRAVO CHARLIE”.. i would recommend it to u ppl.. ABC is just Flawless.. perfect blend of Love, friendship, family relations, Action.. It is an Army drama, tau part of it shows a small war with India in Siachin.. i m sure u ppl wont mind that coz definitely it is less intense than Dastaan.. In short ABC is more than wonderful, class apart, incomparable..

@SZ
Im completely glued to this blog for some time now ..what an amazing blog to have discovered…In dramas ka nasha kum hua he nahi tha kii yeh blog haath lag gaya….and the fun part is kii dramas toh runtime finish kar end ho jaatey … lekin unka asli runtime toh yahan chalo rehata hai ….and conversations here make them even more gulzaaar. …. Spot on reviews!!! Y did it take so long for Zindagi to launch in India and for lover like me to find these treasures…India mein American sitcoms toh kabhi se dimaag kharaab kar reh hain and which are so popular, are full of sex and cheap language…Dramas in Pak are far far far more superior than even the much acclaimed Cinema in India. Waise I had always pitied the SUPER Super pathetic state of Indian dramas. Hope actually ends here with indian dramas.

@ Indepgal
Nothing wrong wid your bantering about HS superior over ZGH …But the matter of fact is that for sme of us ZGH was our first love….and will remain.MK as Khirad looks stunning both ways. All the deserved praise to Mahira Khan for bringing Khirad’s innocence n rawness so alive on screen. I loved her acting and in particular her crying…. The way she places her palm over each other for duua in black full sleeve kurti…too good…hwever it actually took quite a while for me to get used to her wonderrr-FULL NOSE on hd screen…Every time I saw her I was like how is it possible!!!
Howevr I personally consider SS far far far far more praiseworthy as her portrayal as Kashaf than MK as Khirad. And Kashaf even far morrree lovable character than Khirad….Besides that reason in ZGH the focus of script n story was an Overall (complete) Upliftment of each n every character irrespective of the Class or age they belonged to.As Rafia rightely quotes that “Nau-umeedi gunah hai”,I found this the very core of narration. Right from the upper class Ghazala to nazimabad’s Shaneela.Only left at the mercy of his ill-deed was “Murtaza Saheb” . ON THE CONTRARY, in HS there was a complete catalycsm , deluge of each n every character except Mrs Hussain aka apni khirad. Matlab kissi ko nahi bakshaa. Hadd hoti hai bhai. I mean itni mahuusi fella di ending mein ki donno keh ek hone ki khushi fhiki kar di. Also the characters of ZGH, each n every one of them were far more real and inspiring than that of HS.
Plus i couldnt tolerate overdose of Sara n her fake accent ….!!! While HS had a more commendable second half ZGH had a blastinggg first half (ABSOLUTE CRACKER especially episode 1 and 2 !!!…)

Anyhow for me “HS” is far from falling under the likes of ankahi or dhoop kinarey or …..tanhaiyan or ……………………….any other classic for the matter of fact..

As of now be it ZGH or HS, PAK Dramas are my new found love…so far loved each of them !!!! Completely love-struck…!!!!
spellbound by dur-e-shahwar’s character and her father’s….!!!

@indepgal @shubhu @laksha you are soo right. I haven’t watched Hindi soaps forever, maybe 10 years now. everything is so unsatisfactory. in fact here in India, television is only Kapil, KBC and Bigg Boss and news prog or Satyamev Jayate. who on earth has the time to watch soap— and even more importantly… to actually discuss any drama after that??. Indian entertainment is driven by films, our Friday fixation. Do you realize our weekends start on Friday evening after work and then it is mostly about traveling socializing and watching films. Which is why television channels have nothing interesting on weekends. On the other hand PK Tv seems to be driven by these short lived dramas and they seem to be making really sensible stuff. (Of course not all of it is good, check out stuff like badi apa, mera naseeb— really moralisitic and regressive stuff.) They focus on good stories and tight direction. And they make it multilingual– sounds just the way everyone speaks. And not to forget, they have unearthed some first rate actors. Sadly in India, no good actor goes to TV. Its considered kind of passé to have joined TV industry and not aimed first of all for Film industry. All your acting schools are geared only towards cinema. which is why TV industry will never get the best talent here.

Its not as if these stories we have fallen in love with are not flawed, whether it is ZGH, HS or DeShahwar. there are major continuity glitches in storylines, timelines. sometimes the editing is choppy–ZGH— too many problems in timeline—err…. if Z and K were not speaking since” hafton” or weeks how did she get pregnant?. sometimes the pace is very uneven– ZGH- so much time given to Murtaza story and so little to the actual reconciliation between Z and K(last episode).
But despite that the acting is better than first rate, casting is flawless and the story is not complicated. I think it is always the simple stories which draw people in. there is so much depth in the emotion portrayed and the dialogues are so well written that you cant help identifying completely with the situations. Another great plus for me is the life-like portrayal– so Kashaf has a simple wala mobile phone like the basic early Nokia model while Zaroon has a smart touch handset. And when Rafia breaks her slipper she just carries on walking like that( beautiful beautiful scene) and the fact that mutton is made rarely and all of them want the other to eat her fill… this kind of attention to detail is so unprecedented( at least in Indian soaps). A great example of this simplicity is the lack of make up—So Kashaf never wears any lip colour and she is pretty much without any make up all the time, in fact I think her skin is really unclear and keeps distracting in close-ups…. but there is no make up in keeping with her personality. Similarly, as Khirad, MK wears no make up. In the hospital scene she does not even comb her hair. Hats off to these actors tht they put the character first. Now let us think which Balaji character will be seen without make-up ever in this life?

These are the reasons why these dramas are sweeping Indians off their feet just now. I hope they bring better and more dramas here. Competetion is always good. this wake-up call is needed for our industry. .And it is good for the viewers. we are not brain-dead zombies to be fed with whatever s… they can muster up and told–“the audience likes filth so we make it”. It is very good for the Pakistani actors, directors and story writers.. more power to them.. let them reach a six times bigger audience.. let them earn more.. let them do endorsements and ads and films. As a country which is an economic giant and growing every year, we should remember that it is not good to protect our industry, whenever there is true competition we grow better

Atty, just a small correction in my comment on Dastaan. I mentioned the situation wasn’t handled insensitively in d movie. What I meant was d drama Dastaan n not d movie. I really like how the director showed such a sensitive issue.

Molly, the thought that how natural the actresses are and tru to their role and scenes that they appear without make-up….It crossed my mind too that which Hindi TV actor would dare to do that and even if she wanted which director would allow that…..I mean tell me, who wears all those heavy sarees,suits and jewelry while at home…..home is a place where you are yourself…….just imagine working in the kitchen all decked up…gosh. If you have noted…..in many scenes without makeup Sanam Saeed had that innocent…young girl look around her…..

@Molly
Ur take is very factual and sincere to the core.The erred timeline seems a comman feature to every story…major flaw …areey bhai jaldi kya hai…toda time le loo…!!
In addn to the reasons, mentioned abv for going crazy over these dramas, is the language,URDU and the lehaaza…tameez they embody in its discourse …..For me one additinal charm is the URDU …and i must admit my vocab is increasing speedily….Plus each Every-single-actor has a different “texture of voice” which beautifully compliments their characters—-be the hardness n pitch in Kashaf’s voice or the softness in khirads or the polished super voice of Javed Sheikh sahab or be the cunningness in murtazas secnd wife(i even loved her acting) ..or the rustiness in dadis voice from aunn zara…I mean what a vast contrast …

@Molly: Very well said!! You fit in so perfectly in our little gang here .. thoroughly enjoyed reading your detailed take on issues not only relevant but also timely. If ever there was a pertinent need for us to move on this would be it … and I think dramas and films are great cultural ambassadors, allowing us to see each other clearly, without the filter of politicians and their politicking

In ZGH there was no dearth of such hypnotic scenes endorsing a being’s reality. Like the slipper-scene you mentioned, was very well looked-back upon by capturing the footwear worn by college students being stared upon by Kashaf and she in-turn being more concerned about how her mother would have reached school with one in hand than her name on selection-list. And such many more…..

@Shubhankita @Molly @Laksh: Hey ladies! Welcome aboard .. lovely to have you all here and thank you all for sharing your views and all your comments.

Apologies for being MIA, but had house guests and so was caught up with all that … but regardless of my being busy I kept up with all your comments and thoroughly enjoyed the passionate discussions and particularly the ZGH vs HS comparison – too funny!

No, not funny as in what you guys were saying but funny b/c it reminded me of the the drama wars (for the lack of a better word) that went on while Zgh was on … and every time anybody said anything abt ZGH they were accused of being pro-Humsafar .. now I look back and just laugh because dekha jaye tau at the end of the day why pick and choose .. lets enjoy both, no 😉

Re: the issue of discussing actors and actresses, yes, I do humbly request to keep our comments focused on dramas/films and actors and their characters.. the main reason for this being my utter disgust at the way so many fb pages post pictures of celebrities and ask readers to rate then on their looks or personalities or they way personal lives are talked about .. all for the sake of stirring cheap controversies or getting ppl to visit their pages/forums etc .. That said I know all of us here are very sensitive and conscious of these unsaid boundaries and hence my belief that whatever was said was not intended as a slight to anybody just an enthusiastic comparison between two equally talented actresses, both of whom are fabulous in their own particular ways… 👏👏

Having met both, Sanam and Mahira, I can easily say that I would give my left, and right arm for that matter, to look half as good (to say nothing of being as skinny!!) as both of these girls do and the way they carry themselves… more importantly, aside from their physical appearance, what really made a lasting impression was their humility. It wouldve been so easy for Sanam to be flying sky high ( I met her right after ZGH had finished) but she was grace personified, totally charming and utterly sweet … she even mentioned our meeting in one of her comments above!
As for Mahira, that girl is warmth personified…she is the quintessential girl next door, except the fact that girls next door to me have never looked as gorg!! With her too, there was never a moment when I felt like I was talking to a celeb .. it was like I would imagine meeting any of you .. crazy convos jumping from one topic to another …

So yeah all that we hear about these girls in their interviews is so true, both as real as can be .. and I know as a viewer I am delighted to be able to watch these girls work their magic onscreen as they make characters Khirad and Kashaf come alive , to the extent that we can relate to them on so many levels .. and not just relate .. but hello, lets talk about hating both Khirad and Kashaf!!! After all what naseeb .. donon ko FK mila!!!! 😜

Err SZ , from recent accounts heard, it appears FK is the lucky chap to have mahira and I guess sanam too as his costars. His handsome self apparently isn’t all smiles and sunshine in person. At a recently held award function, our hero sat thru the nite with a dukhi tight lipped expression. This despite the fact that a lot of the well heeled women attending the event had come specifically to meet him- he being the fresh face this season and zindagi having just aired HS’ finale the previous nite ( destiny’s timing for him seems to be bang on! ) My pal present there , to whom I had hyped FK up was most let down. She was working with him directly and said he was polite but very uptight. Not interesting. Cud be having a bad day perhaps. Just that when so many people give u that much attention , u need to make an effort.

Mahira on the other hand has come across as effortless, vivacious and very charming to most who met her this week. Everyone came back saying what u wrote above.. She is utterly gorgeous and very warm! a lot of ppl in the entertainment business who have become pretty blasé over the years have been totally charmed by her no artifice genuine self. That’s why I wrote above that she makes for a good brand ambassador coz the same ppl had not so nice things to say abt other heroines from pak who played to the galleries in a not so nice fashion thereby never making the A list here.

It’s nice when actors u admire turn out to be equally nice people. I think people like Marina Khan (my first love) mahira, Fawad come across as genuine. That’s why they have become popular here. We already have a lot of wanabes… Don’t need more.

Also, would love to have you ladies join us “real time” convos … I am currently reviewing Sadqay Tumhare with Mahira .. also doing, off and now since it went crazy, Firaaq with Sanam .. and for those love Marina Khan from Dhoop Kinare then Im also doing Jackson Heights .. also for fans of Aunn Zara and Osman Khalid Butt “Goya” starts tomorrow … so a full weekend indeed! Would absolutely love to hear from you on those threads 🙂 We’ve gotten @Samrita to cross over to the dark side ab aap log bhi aa jayen 😉

Thanks for such a warm welcome SZ. Happy to be here. We all of us explore our own reality through these discussions. Its so gratifying to realize that hey, there are lots of girls/women who face similar issues and benefit from their insight.
One great spin off from these discussions has been a window into the world of Pakistani women. I don’t know if all of you agree, but these discussions have contributed as much to my understanding of across the border as ZGH and HS.
I think it is culture and social interaction that is the only way to bridge the gulf between our countries. And probably like all important things in life, it is the women, the sisters and the mothers of our two nations who can change the status quo

@SZ
No longer on the dark side SZ …..Im keeping-up with the latest delights offered there also….!!!! After lying hands on MJ’s Behaad and Coke kahaani, her current project Jackson Heights seem irresistible….Had seen couple of initial episode of Firaaq too…don’t know how its story has developed so far…

However, at present my budding curiosity towards characters crafted by Umera Ahmed (esp the female ones) compelled me to go for her other adapted versions. So I laid my hands on Shehr-eZaat(was totally charmed by MK’s performance) n MZZeB. Totally utterly blown away by the latter…I hope both are soon aired on zindagi….just finished epi 13 of Talkhiyaan (being SS fan)….Dabbu n Shanakht from Kahaniyaan were also awesome(from ur recommended playlist) ….super thumbs-uppp to MJ….MJ’s works are my next stop(which one should I go for any suggestions )…..!!! And lot of ur recommended telefilms to catch-up this weekend…lekin old stock itnaah pending hai kii naaye ka time nikalna padega 

@ Afia…….HighWaayy –Not At ALL … , i hv just learned how to drive aur apne seedha highway par pahoncha diya !!! But then again, of late these are my latest idle-preoccupation.….wil soon share QeT’s exp.

Thanks Shubh- much appreciated- loved doing it. Aur cake toh my sis got made specially for my bday which happens to be v near the HS anniv. It became viral on the net in those days.
Waise SZ and some other friends here were even keener experts on HS and FK when I started seeing Ashk with them They’d talk about FK’s gray suit from HS, being used in Ashk etc, and I was a bit clueless. Phir samajh aaya junoon kya hota hai 😉

@Shubh Being MJ and Umera ahmad fan, u should watch projects they did together.. Daam and Malal.. Daam is tau out of this world.. Super dooper serial.. Bs unfortunately video quality available online is not good, still worth watch.. Believe me u r missing out something big if u have nt watched DAAM yet..
Malal is also good, based in NY.. If u r enjoying JH, then u’ll difinitely love Malal..

Just finished my rewatch of ZGH with the Zindagi marathon telecast. Oh how I wish they had stopped the serial after their first misunderstanding. It feels that the last five episodes were directed and written by someone completely different. Why did the story unravel so much? It was almost as if the director couldn’t muster up the enthusiasm to neatly bring together the different strands of the story. The personalities of Zaroon and Kashaf which were developed so well till episode 18-19,, suddenly went spiraling God knows where. Every character went Hayward. What happened to the direction can anyone explain? Have you felt the rootlessness of the later part too?

@Aman: Hey! Lovely to hear yet another perspective on arguably our most discussed serial here !
Re: the rootlessness … what to say .. you felt it in the latter half, several of us here had issues with even the first half. I think the writer – director combo took on way too many issues and fell far short of doing justice to any of them … but again, that’s just my opinion… *runs to hide before ZGH lovers beat me up!! * 😉

@Samrita: LOL! FK showing up here?! Haha! That will be the day! I still remember the excitement when FK shared one of my posts on his page, we got bhabhi ji to visit and comment here.. so who knows… one can always hope 😉

@SZ After roaming here-n-there on this blog, celebrity walk-in doesn’t seem a new affair with this blog and you in particular…. U guys have had lotss of OMG moments on this blog from SS to MK to Hina Khawaja Bayat ji to Khalid Ahmad Sb to name few….
waise aap kisi celebrity se kaam nahi hai mere liye ….!!!

And yeah, we’ve been really spoilt here with the celebs, all of whom have been really gracious with their comments and responding to questions etc… makes our discussions all that much more relevant in that the ppl we are talking abt are actually reading and responding to our rants and/or raves 🙂

@All: Sorry, have not been able to respond on this thread in a while but just wanted to say ke thank you all for all your comments and various POVs abt Pak actors working in Bollywood, and have to say you all bring some very valid points to the table .. Waisey if FK were to ever come to this thread and read up on all the career advice and pros and cons laid out I’m sure he would def start wondering ke why am I paying my managers .. yahan tau itney saarey muft mashwarey 😉

@Laksh: Aww! no thanks required – my pleasure absolutely… and I should be thanking you all for taking the time to come here and share your thoughts. I dont know abt others but I for one am certainly enjoying the various convos 🙂

SZ, you are so right , the day FK incase visits this page and heeds our advice and reads the pros and cons…more than him, his managers will raise their cudgels against you for putting their naukris in khatra and then you will really have to run for cover….haha LOL:)

I also wished to know if there is any way to see the drama Dhaani …..would love to see Sanam Saeed’s performance.

Can someone help me with some info.on 2 Upcoming shows on Zindagi as can’t find any info on Google. One is Sajjal Ali’s “Gauhar” n another one is “Mera Saaya” which is about a 50year old mom getting pregnant. I think they have changed d titles like they did with Miraat-ul-uroos n Durr-e-Shehwaar.

@Samrita Mera saaya is “Parchaiyan”.. Have not watched it, but rubina ashraf played the lead..
Dont know about the other one.. Any idea of plot may help me re-call it..
Y r they changing titles? I heard they have changed “Meri zaat zara-e-benishaan” to “kaisi ye kismat”.. Uf! its OST is so beautiful and title is from ost.. They have ruined it

@Atty: thanks for helping out with the names 🙂
@Samrita: Gauhar could be either Gauhar-e Nayab with Sajal and Ahsan Khan in the lead or if its a story about the lower middle class, and has an ensemble cast, then it could be Nanhi, which was excellent. The last possibility, if it has Shehryar Munawwar, then its Aasmanon Pe Likha …. Ab you can tell us which one it is 😊

Thanks Atty n SZ.
As for Parchhaiyan, it isn’t a difficult title, i don’t understand why they changed it. They r not even showing any scenes as promos from d drama, why so much secrecy.

Main lead’s face is not shown in Gauhar’s promos so can’t say which drama it could be.

Today only they started promos of “kaisi yeh kismat” with Faisal Qureshi n Sameena Peerzada. If it is “MZZEB”, then I’ll be really happy coz i have its a fab drama. But, even if they change d name, i am sure they still play the same OST. Btw, i understand Zaat, Zarra, Benishan as separate words but couldn’t understand d meaning of the title.

Afia, I do agree they should not change the title or atleast show it in brackets besides the new title. Many a times I felt like writing to Zindagi abt it but then thought why worry when I have my wonderful friends here to help me:)

Kasi ye Kismat indeed is MZZeB…I was waiting for this one…. finnally !!!! after the current dreary-routine-bogus stuff aired, there is some hope….As far the titles go,I love the original titles, why are they changing it …Original ones give them an unusual vibe…not a goood PR strategy.In any case they can’t drained out the overflowing-pool-of-handy info on wiki n YT n of-course desirants!!!!Why hide the original name which largely speaks of the show’s theme. Another side effect is that while promoting the OST, like in DeS’s case they offhandedly use to stop the track right where the original name comes in the track, as in “main huin ….(and then cut the portion “dur-e-shahwar”.A track otherwise with beautiful lyrics).It sounds very odd this way. God knows what they will do with MZZeB’s brilliant track. Hope they soon learn not to alter the names. Also, it leaves an altered-changed impact of the broader theme of what the show is about. (Mirat-ul-uroos as aina dulhan ka and DeS as dhoop kinary).Either they shuld just translate it in whatever lingo they want.…. Renaming is a bad option to keep curiousness at bay. Which conversely they are powerless to…

@Shubh: Here’s an interesting tidbit abt the DeS OST.. so the day the first ep aired, I remember hearing the OST and thinking it sounded pretty familiar, and I did some research and it turned out the music had been plagiarized from one of AR Rehman’s song from Zubeida, and I wrote abt it in my review ( for another site) and the OST was pulled right after that .. Ab I dont know what OST is being aired in India but the one here was an exact copy …. check it out below

May b Zindagi ppl don want their viewers to watch these dramas online.. Thats y changing names.. But it is not difficult to find them on internet.. One can search through actors, directors or writers names easily

Atty, finding by other means is also difficult bcoz they do not display any names as originally they r in Urdu n most of us here can’t read it. Still I tried with Sajal Ali’s name but there were so many dramas that couldn’t make out which one is it.

@Afia, wanted to share with you that I was just watching the last few episodes of HS on YT n thought of you. I am glad to say that this drama has grown on me n every time I rewatch it, I love it more than before. Sometimes I feel ZGH n HS have done a lil damage, as in after watching these two, no matter how good d other serials on Zindagi are, sab inke aage pheeke lagte hain (DeS was an exception though even it couldn’t take their place)

Samrita, wah kya baat hai, I’m honoured you think of me while watching HS 🙂 I know the feeling waise- you watch something fun and u instinctively want to share it with someone you know who will appreciate it as much as u do. So glad our new Indian friends are enjoying these so much- quite a new feeling to get used to, atleast for me who lives in Lahore and doesn’t have any as such friends in India. And yes, after watching the best shows first, it is harder to be pleased with the rest.
Waise this past week my sis and I have been enjoying all the pics from Salman Khan’s sis’ wedding. Quite an affair that was!

@Molly: Awww! Worry not hum hain na 😉 Are you on any on the current threads with us? If not, why dont you come join us there.. Im presently doing Sadqay Tumhare ( 6 eps in) Goya (just started) and Also Firaaq ( need to catch up on the last couple but will continue with off and on reviews ) and Jackson Heights (very behind on that one .. but this weekend have promised myself to write it up ).

@SZ
Just to taste the latest offerings on the menu, I halted my rally of “talkhiyan” (being a SS fan) that I had been into des days. So it was Firaaq for me first and I must say what a lovelly mess it is becoming into–ceaselessly…though loved SS in it….her character is yet to unfold …!!!…..Than I launched myself to “Goya”(bcz of the title-appeal )… .Much to what has been already said on its own thread, its first epi was Not very inviting appetizer either….couldn’t digest the leads protags’ name i.e.–Jr Hashmi, they could have dropped Jr…Sana’s mother also has been poorly cast… she seems more like her sister too me but i guess for Mohini’s character i’ll give it a shot for a couple more of epis’….Goya’s story too seems to unfold overseas. Foreign desti’s appears to be latest fad for dramas there…Contrary to this, sadquay tumhare’s retro-period look, looks quite appealing(…everybody on this blog is already goin sadquay tumhare…)..Sso far I loved its poster, much alike that of SeZ. Mahira looks stunning(always) but more in this water-color-effect-look effect…

Plus all the dreary-bogus-routine stuff being aired on zindagi ,I’m keeping myself quenched with the previous ones….

@Molly besides surviving on this blog, in the meantime u should watch “pehchaan by mehreen jabbar”..

@samrita….
darrling take a breath ….whats the hurrry .Everything will be revealed soon…
Or just carry-on, anyways too much of it wont do any harm.

Zindagi channel is specific to India. However i guess HumTv, GeoTv and other Pak channels are aired abroad(both with the original timings and delayed, just like starworld premier is in India). I read it somewhere it will soon air dramas from turkey,iran as well(which are already being aired in pak)…..!!!!

Loved her in MZZeB….She is The Legendary Zohra Segals’ grandneice(thanks to wiki)…I was searching for samiya mumtazs’ Dukhtar’s link online….couldnt find it anywhere on the net…any info will be likely rewarded….

thanks for the compliment …
….i was watching Sadquay tumhare the other day when i loved the artist playing Shanno’s mother …she turned outto be zohra sehgal’s grandneice….then little search clicks and i found duktaar …!!!
Ook no hurry ….i can easily wait for that long …..
I am also looking forward to seedlings… .

LOL…keep it going friends…..its so overwhelming to see how one channel and one show has brought us all closer and we have so much in common…a big time tv fan and gossiper and over the past decade not seen anything much interesting after Mr.Rishabh Bajaj aka Ronit’s entry…but totally bowled over Fawad Khan our Zaroon and Sanam…one of the best shows have watched after ages though do keep in touch with the other shows too but just to meet my tv forum friends and to know whats going on in the tv world and also for the sake of bashing :P…as of now nothing interesting in Zindagi but hopefully will find some interesting soon which suits my timings too… till then keep it going ladies 😀

Goya is not set overseas .. perhaps you meant JH … yes thats set in NYC …
Re: foreign destinations, not a new fad .. we’ve always had a drama or two set abroad pretty much every season .. Ahista Ahista in San Fransisco n Mere Humdum Mere Dildar in Turkey just ended .. and now Firaaq in Florida now.. earlier we’ve had Rubaru in Turkey, Bilqees Kaur in NYC, Mata-e Jaan in NYC, KPKP in Turkey aka US … Ashk in Turkey.. Vasl in Florida, and the list goes on …

@Atty…. your comment about ABC is so cute. Of course we can take the reference to Siachen, just as you can take so many references in our films..or maybe those films don’t get released. Hopefully we will never go to war again.
On a serious note, there is no enmity as intense and hurtful as between brothers. we can do so well together. if we could cooperate it would enrich both of our nations. And the common people of both don’t seem to have such negative emotions.

Great to see a message on this thread in my inbox. We, in India are not watching the dramas being reviewed. And sad to say Zindagi has regressed to the same typical saas bahu, sister-sister, doosri biwi type drama as plague our own programming. maat, madiha maliha, mastana mahi etc. definitely not the best fare So finally we are weaning off Zindagi. And btw, what is with this horrible horrible never ending serial called Kaash main teri beti na hoti? Its the worst possible show. Far better to show Humsafar on a loop for the next six months than this serial which is going on for 5 months. All our household help are quite fond of it though:)

@Molly i am obsessed with ABC, i can go on and on about it.. itni baar dekh chuki hun k ab mute kr k scene lga do tau sb dialogues suna sakti hun..
Yaar unfortunately it’s not like that.. Even common people have hatred and negative emotions for each other.. just check u-tube, Fb, twitter, any media blog, cricket page, These r full of negative comments, so much k agr main kisi Indian player ki tareef kr dun tau my fellow Pakistanis will start abusing me for it.. Other day i was reading the news of FK signing his second BW movie on some news blog, and someone called FK ‘another Ajmal kassab’ and ppl upvoted his comment.. i am not saying everyone is like that, but many people r not as open minded as few people on this blog, and they will never understand that this is only damaging to both countries

I completely agree with your review. For me it was heartbreaking that the serial that had moved and touched me so hard, left certain things unanswered. Especially why was Asmara meeting zaroon or did Osama’s proposal affected zaroon and his friendship. Kashaf’s character was well developed and in some last episodes you believe that she fell in love with zaroon, even she says th at zaroon ne mujhe muthi mein kar liya. But I am disappointed from zaroon’s side. I don’t find any substantial thing from his side making me believe how kashaf influenced him. The director tried to portray that as she use to take care of him, he misses her for that. But towards the end zaroon feelings towards kashaf could have been better portrayed. All in all the serial does impact you and does create a void that takes days to fill. Kashaf was amazing indeed!! Sanam nailed it! And I loved the way fawad emotes through his eyes. Really captivating!! I loved Ayesha Omar and Mansha Sasha too. They pulled the role of siblings perfectly. I feel, if the show is such a hit and has impact on us, the director must think of a second season for sure. It is already going to be a hit.

his show is a super blockbuster in India while i remember how people in pakistan complained it had no story and no twists and bekaar waste of time if it wasnt for fawad khan coz no one liked sanam saeeds pair with him loool…

Surprised to know people didn’t like Fawad Khan’s pairing with Sanam Saeed coz if he has ever looked d most convincing as a husband was in this serial with Sanam Saeed n credit definitely goes to SS as well as she complimented him all d way with her sheer talent.
Hope to see them as onscreen couple once again as they are magic together.

Agreed, there was quite a bit of talk about this not being a great pairing and then later on when it aired then there were story issues, which many, including me, had issues with .. but again its all a matter of perspective and context.

@Samrita: I think we;ve talked about this before as well that for those whom ZGH served as an introduction to PK dramas and FK and SS there will never be anything better, just as for those who saw HS first … The initial announcement, for the ZGH pairing, was made at the same time that Humsafar ended and at that point in time HS fans did not want to see FK with anybody else other than Mahira. Also, before ZGH Sanam had never done a project as a solo lead. MeJ, where she played Sarwat’s sister, was a supporting role and infact that aired right after HS, so there were questions as to whether she would be able to stand up to FK as a main lead .. Technical issues (as in story loopholes, narrative pacing issues and lack of character development in some cases ) aside, in my personal view, comparisons b/w HS and ZGH are really not fair because one was an out n out fantastical romance (acc to Sarmad he treated it like a fairy tale) whereas ZGH claimed to portray the gritty realities of life ….

But all that aside, I always smile when I read the passionately argued pro and cons from ardent supporters of ZGH and HS … jo bhi the jaise bhi the, there is no question that these two serials did capture the audiences’ imaginations in a way that no other serial has managed to do in the past decade or so!

I did not expect to find a detailed conversation about this, but glad I did. I know this is an old blog, but I still would like to share.
I binge watched ZGH over the weekend and it did have an impact! There were plenty that i loved and plenty that bothered me.

What I loved:
>Fawad Khan. The only reason I watched this. He is gorgeous and has the most varied expressions which changes from second to second. But, I really liked the female lead after a few episodes.
>Characters were not black and white. Every character had their own flaws but yet like-able, like normal human beings.
>It was crisp and concise, with plenty sub-plots that hold your attention.
>Amazing chemistry between the leads. Even in college when they were fighting there was lot of hints that he liked her. He envied her strength or character and her convictions. She was everything he wasn’t – mature, confident, self-reliant and intelligent. Even when their conversations are snappy, he enjoys it.
>Sibling love: What a joy it was to see the love between siblings. It was so true to life.

What i did not like:
>The constant judgement being passed on liberal women and supporting it with accusations of failed marriages due to women.
>The main lead bordering chauvinism/hypocrisy which was not entirely resolved. It’s almost impossible for them to live happily ever after with this not getting resolved, esp with K being such a strong opinionated woman.
>Working women are expected to be a super woman – why is it only a woman’s responsibility to impart values to children, or check laundry. This really bothered me. I was hoping Zaroon and Kashaf find compromises and settle on a more partner-ed home running rather than her pulling all the weight, while he sits at home watching TV!

What was missing:
>Zaroon never really understood Kashaf’s hardship or why her complexes were so. He never broke her and never got her to open up. That was something that needed an entire episode or two.
>I understand K had issues with Zaroon and the gang, but why was she so rude to Maria? Why couldn’t she have made friends with other people. Why did she have to be such a prick to people who were nice to her? Atleast, they could have shown her helping Maria with studies and helping her out (she might be capable of showing love only this way).
>Z – did he grow up? Or is he going to be a kid with his man-ego all his life? Given that he did hear Kashaf’s viewpoint on marriage during the honeymoon phase, which they tabled for later discussion, it was never resolved. Given Kashaf, i expected her to break his hypocrisy and get him to be more of a partner than his version of husband. The way it ended it looked like women have to make all the adjustments – even educated, intelligent and strong women like Kashaf. I wanted to see his adjustments too. I still can’t accept that he chose to lick his bruised ego while his pregnant wife left home. Isn’t it his job to prove his innocence to her? It almost felt like she picked up the phone and called him because she was pregnant.. What if she was not pregnant – would they have ended the marriage. The ending just did not work for me!!

Hi Sashaa: Welcome! Lovely to hear from you.. thanks for sharing your thoughts on ZGH. I totally get your need to vent after watching this in one go. I don’t know if you read all the comments on all the reviews, or even just this one alone, but this one did manage to strike a nerve with the audiences and everybody has had such strong reactions to it, be they pro or con.
For me, you sum up the serial so succinctly .. exactly the things that frustrated me as well as kept us hooked week after week.
Oh, and if you liked Sanam Saeed, the female lead I would highly recommend Talkhiyan .. on yt and dailymotion.
So, moving on from ZGH, are you watching anything else? Would love to hear from you on our other current threads.. Do keep in touch 🙂

Hi SZ!! I am from India and live in the US. I never have watched any tele serials in the last 25 years. I watched ZGH and Humsafar because they were on Netflix and FK was there! I did not expect them to be this good. The production values and focus on script/writing was enough to keep me hooked (i read the subtitles so might have lost the essence). After so many days, I still have not found peace with ZGH ending 😉
After posting, i did read the comments and it was quite interesting to see how so many people had varying opinions. Also, I did not understand the ‘cultural’ aspect until i read the comments. For e.g I did not find anything wrong with Asmara’s clothing, especially the one she gets criticized for. She was fully covered and didn’t understand what irked Zaroon. Neither did I understand why a college library confrontation was such a big deal that they talked about getting expelled. But after reading the comments I understood that it was cultural and men don’t confront women they are not related to in public spaces.
I watched Humsafar, I really liked it but after episode 10/11 it became everything I hate about tele series. The whole planned mother-in-law scheming against daughter-in-law.. It just got irritating. I did finish it.
Hope someday we get to watch a rich girl getting married to a poor boy so she doesn’t have to suffer so much in life even if she is wronged!
If ‘Talkhiyan’ gets added to Netflix, I will check it out. For now, adios! and thanks for responding.

@sangeethaps:
Re: Asmara’s dressing: It was fine as shown in the serial, they shouldve put more effort into making her wear something really out there, because only then would those scenes have made sense but they didnt and it all came out as a hodge podge .. the whole Z and A thig was handled really badly because for most of the time she wasnt doing anything wrong except leading her life.. but they wanted to push the comparison between the “bad upper class modern girl” vs the “shareef middle class girl” ..
Re: the not talking to male peers .. again that was hyped up here, to show Kashaf’s “sharafat” vs all those “forward” girls who mix around freely with guys .. Pakistani is a conservative society, for sure, but not with these kinds of absolute lines as shown here .. that said Z was not being friendly with K he was an absolute pest, but look how easily he got away scott free while heavy handed judgement was passed on the girls who talk to guys abd that too by Kashaf, a female character! Aargh!

Re: Humafar: yes it was as regressive and as stereotypical as can be but we all bought into like a fairy tale.. what stereotype and what regression .. we were all too busy drooling over the lead pair!

Will look forward to hearing more after the next PK serial you watch – 🙂

After hearing about Humsafar from you and other readers, I did manage to finish the series! ok, I have to say I really found it a lot more real and deep. Yes, I had issues with the MIL scheming part, but once past that I absolutely loved how the series changes. I have to say Khirad is the character I was routing for. I loved how she valued her self-respect and did not make any effort to make amends when she met her husband after 4 years. This is a character I could totally relate to. She was a much stronger personality than Kashaf (sorry to draw that comparison), in my opinion. And also the characters were very consistent.

@sashaa: Hey! Glad you enjoyed Humsafar 🙂 Like anything else it has its good and bad points and the story is not something that we have never seen before, but as I was just writing on another thread just now, adding texture to characters is this writer’s forte and then add to it a director who understands his characters really well and actors who sink themselves into becoming those ppl and you get something memorable even in a been there done that kind of a story.

Re: comparison b/w HS and ZGH: More than the story etc, it is really a function of time when these serials aired.. Humsafar was a trailblazer, FK was not the huge star that he became by the time HS ended and serials ended when the story ended .. By the time ZGH aired (about a year or so later) the entire landscape had changed and FK was a hot commodity, serials started getting stretched to accomodate advertisers and ratings became a huge deciding factor .. and in all this the story got left behind somewhere … so even though the makers were ambitious and wanted to address 5000 issues at one time they never really were able to do justice to the story… also by this time the producers had realized that FK was a huge “romantic” hero so there was the need to cater to that as well …

All in all both serials had their ups and downs and were very different projects that aired at different times and as a viewer I am glad that I dont have to choose b/w the two 🙂

Thank you for clarifying a few things! yes, in the end I don’t think Z deserved Kashaf. K does bring up this valid point while talking to her Professor – That women have to be perfect from Day0 while men get a chance to correct themselves later in life. It highlights the double standard in our society.
Same with Humsafar, he did not deserve her in the end.
In both cases we ended up liking a severely flawed male character, just because it was FK and that bugs me ; )

Nice review.. I am an Indian living in US and never watch Indian shows and had never watched any Pakistani shows … But one fine day , I was browsing on youtube and accidently saw Zaroon-Kashaf wedding night scene and rest was a history, I was about to watch it on youtube and it appeared on Netflix.. well binge watched it.. and before this, I had no idea who Fawad is/was… But now he has one more fan for life…ZGH is the best show I have ever watched… and Sanam Saeed, I love her…. I can relate to Kashaf’s character.. growing up in India –in 90’s.. ,Since watched HS, Dastaan, and Love Sanam Baloch too…recently watch Teri Raza… But ZGH is the best show so far….

Hi Kanta, Welcome to DRNR. Happy to have you here 🙂
Sorry for the delay in responding – Im trying to finish up something .. bas by tomorrow I shall be done and respond araam se .. meanwhile, please do check out our current threads .. perhaps you might find some on air drama that interests you?